When Darkness Turns to Light
by Akizakura202
Summary: Three years ago, Hikari Uzumaki's world was consumed by darkness. She arrives at Disney Castle, but something of hers is missing: her heart. When the opportunity arises, she quests with the Keybearer for all she had lost - but what will she find? RikuXOC.
1. Glowing Yellow Eyes

_Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts. Only Hikari Uzumaki._

**Chapter One: Glowing Yellow Eyes**

**Darkness is but the absence of light. But there is no such thing as light being the absence of darkness. Even in light, shadows linger, meaning the darkness will never disappear. And even in the darkest dark, there is the glimmering star of light. Without the other, one cannot exist. Everyone walks with a shadow, forever attached. . . .**

Glowing yellow eyes stared back at themselves, partly shadowed by long, black bangs parted on the left side of the girl's scalp. The rest of her hair brushed her shoulder blades in light layers. In contrast, her skin was as pale as the moon. It now dripped with water she had splashed onto her face from the bathroom sink.

Glaring at herself, the teen grabbed a towel with the King of Disney Castle's emblem and wiped her mug. Her attire consisted of a dark red corset, or tube-top, with a single zipper down the front over a pink turtleneck made of fishnet that reached her elbows. The corset had a thin line of white and a thick one of the same color at the bottom.

At her waist, she had a small yellow apron, also with the King's emblem, and her kunai pouch, which was the width of her hips, would always be attached to her through the belt loops of her baggy, midnight blue pants in the back. Her shurikon holster wrapped around her right thigh. Her skateboard shoes were black.

Her name was Hikari Uzumaki.

Barking caught her attention, drawing her eyes to the doorway. A small white dog, with long ears and fur spiked in the back of his head, stood there, tail wagging. He had been named "Akamaru."

"I'm keeping Mickey waiting, aren't I?" Hikari asked, to which the dog barked again. "Right . . . better go see what he wants," she yawned. It was very early in the morning, after all, to where the moon was still in the sky. She proceeded out of her bathroom, into her room, and then into the colonnade.

In the colonnade, Hikari stretched as she walked, thankful for the small inside lanterns illuminating it. Akamaru also walked at her side. Light was customary in Disney Castle, however, she supposed; the spelled brooms, one of which walked by her, carrying two wooden pails, required no sleep, and serviced in cleaning the castle day and night.

At the end of the colonnade, she entered through a large wooden door into the Library. Books were only stocked on shelves on the opposite wall, there was a golden fireplace against the right wall, and there was a desk in the center of the room. His Majesty King Mickey, seemingly writing a letter, was seated at the desk. He bore the appearance of a mouse.

Hikari proceeded further inside, until she was in front of the desk, and bowed. "Your Majesty, good morning. You said last night you wanted to see me, this morning?" _This __**early**__ in the morning?_

"Good morning, Hiki," replied the King. Hikari winced at the nickname; she hated it, always, but everyone else seemed to like calling her that. "Hold on a sec, I'll explain most everything once I finish writing this to Donald."

Hikari nodded and waited patiently, letting her eyes travel to the ceiling as she brought her hands together behind her and gently rocked on her heels.

**

* * *

**

_Hikari performed the same action, only then her eyes overlooked the scene before her; a once peaceful village named Konoha. She could see creatures of darkness, known as Heartless, dotting the scene. In this instance, she was also waiting for her leader, superior, to divulge something to her._

_She was the Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade, a straw-blonde old woman with the appearance of a thirty-year-old or younger. Twilight colors from the sky at this time of day intermingled with the hazel in her eyes. Those warm colors did not match her icy stare as a Shadow disappeared into darkness in the distance._

_"They've become stronger," came the distasteful words. Hikari did not have to question to whom Tsunade was referring; more Heartless had presented themselves. "It used to be that those monsters only came out at night . . . then they grew brave and ventured at this time, when shadows are long, but light still touches the Land of Shurikon and Kunai. Now, reports of daylight sightings are increasing."_

_"Yes . . .," muttered Hikari, "and there aren't enough shinobi to divide between missions and a thorough patrol for Heartless, isn't that right? So more non-shinobi citizens become Heartless . . . even stronger Heartless are made by the shinobi that are consumed by the darkness within their hearts."_

_Tsunade made a sound of agreement. "I have a bad feeling . . . I won at the slots today."_

_Hikari raised a brow with a minuscule smile, but continued to stare forward. "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"_

_Her superior also found minor amusement, bittersweet. "It's an omen. I never win. These times . . . for me to all of a sudden win must be a premonition of great change, and with the Heartless . . . I don't think it's good."_

_Now the girl looked at the Hokage. "Baa-chan . . . you shouldn't read too much into it. Not even you can lose 'em all." She hesitated, averting her eyes, and opened her mouth again. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_Any trace of humor drained itself from her right then. Her mind flitted around words to describe the task to be set, but only if an unwanted event occurred. "Your brother, your twin . . . Naruto has the Nine-tailed Fox sealed within him. The day you and him were born, Konoha was under siege by that Heartless, and part of the Land of Shurikon and Kunai was nearly encased in darkness before your father, the Fourth, saved us. But you know this. . . ._

_"It's possible that with the increasing amounts of Heartless in the village, and the fact that the seal harboring the Nine-tailed Fox is weakening; it seems to leak darkness out of Naruto more frequently . . . the events of twelve years ago might occur again."_

**

* * *

**

Presently, her eyes were narrowed and she was still. She had not noticed when King Mickey was grasping for her attention. "Hiki? Hiki. Hikari!" A gloved hand waved in front of her face, obscuring her vision enough to break her out of her reverie and she watched as the King landed on his feet in front of her, after jumping. In comparison to her, he was quite short.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Mi—King Mickey, I er. . . . It's a little early, my mind must've dozed off," she explained sheepishly.

"It's alright, I've just gotta get going quickly." Hikari gave him a strange look. "C'mon, I'll explain on the way to the Gummi Hangar. You'll prob'ly come, too, if you want." He began walking towards the Library's exit, but stopped by a big yellow dog with a loose green collar around his neck to hand him a letter. Pluto took it in his mouth.

"Go to the Audience Chamber and give it to Donald in the morning. Will you do it for me, boy? That's a pal!" King Mickey directed as he patted Pluto. Then, he turned and signaled for Hikari to follow him.

She obeyed.

**

* * *

**

_Hikari gave a small gasp as she snapped her eyes to Tsunade, mouth slightly agape. Terrible, terrible images flashed through her mind. "No . . . Naruto wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't become a Heartless so easily—or give in to one . . . can't the seal be renewed; something?"_

_The Hokage shook her head sadly. "You've seen Naruto when the Fox begins taking over. He wouldn't be a Heartless, necessarily . . . but not his mind—maybe not even his heart—will be his own. Nothing about the seal can be done because those who know it have perished using it. The seals protecting his heart are much stronger, though . . . he'll be safe, if no one else."_

_She turned to Hikari and reached into her kunai pouch. From it, she obtained a slip of paper, which she handed to her subordinate genin. The kanji for "sit" was written on it. "It's complicated, but this seal should help suppress the Fox, but only after it has already been partly released, before the fourth tail shows itself. You're his sister, and if the Fox does take over, my hopes are that Naruto's heart will 'recognize' you, and you will be able to get close enough to put this on him._

_"I've handed the note to jonin, as well. In case you don't make it."_

_The girl stared at the note with her yellow eyes and breathed through parted lips. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "This . . . this suppression couldn't work beforehand?"_

_Tsunade shook her head. "I told you, it's complicated. And the seal only has so much power . . . after the fourth tail is released, the Fox Heartless will be too strong, and we're all doomed. Do you understand the task set for you?"_

_"Yes. . . ." A heavy weight was on her shoulders._

**

* * *

**

Hikari and the King were soon in the courtyard; he had yet to provide an explanation for his peculiar behavior. Knowing there was something amiss, she stopped abruptly and addressed him in a less-than-regal manner. "Mickey . . . tell me what's going on. Why do you need a Gummi, where're you going—why the secrecy?"

Mickey stopped, too, and turned his head a little. "I explained it in my letter to Donald . . . but if you decide to come with me, I'll have to explain it to you, too."

She frowned. "To where?"

He turned to face her completely. "I'm not sure why, but stars have been blinkin' out, one by one, just like the big one that did the night you came here three years ago. After what you told me, about when the Heartless invaded your world, the same must be happening to those that blink out. . . . Disaster can't be far behind.

"I've gotta go check into it. I'm inviting you to come with me because those questions we've been having—I'm going to find some answers."

Hikari raised brows in piqued interest and crossed her arms. "How do you know you'll find answers?"

Mickey looked uneasy. "I know someone. I can't say much now, there's not a lot of time. . . ."

Hikari realized that the Sun was beginning to rise. Lowering a brow, she responded, "I see . . . and if I don't go with you?"

"I'm sending Donald and Goofy to Traverse Town. There's someone with a 'key' to our survival—there'll be a bit more about their mission in the letter." The King now looked more hurried as his eyes searched for early risers. "You'll be going to a lot of worlds—"

Hikari's eyes widened excitedly and she fisted, bringing her hands to her chest. "Okay! With all due respect, Mick—Your Majesty—I'll go with Donald and Goofy! If that means traveling worlds. . . ." Her eyes turned to the side. "Some . . . others from my home might've survived, elsewhere. And I want to help this 'key'-person. Plus, they'll be needing a mechanic—"

Mickey laughed. "You've never been excited before. You'll go with them, then. I still need a Gummi, though, can ya help with that?"

The girl stared at him blankly, and then nodded, closing her mouth over the grin she had worn so her lips touched in a straight face. She blinked away slightly wide eyes. As the King turned around and headed toward the entrance to the Gummi Hangar in the center of the Courtyard, she followed, scratching the back of her head.

Excited, he had said? She sighed, placing her left hand over where her heart should be and looked with eyes shadowed by lowered lashes. It was strange, what memories did to one. She remembered so well, having her heart, that it would sometimes feel as if she actually did.

**

* * *

**

"Donald,

Sorry to rush off without saying goodbye, but there's big trouble brewin'. Not sure why, but stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all but I've gotta go check into it.

There's someone with a 'key'—the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him, got it?

We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction.

P.S. If Hiki didn't leave with me, she'll go with you, too.

P.P. S. Would you apologize to Minnie for me?

Thanks, Pal."

"Oh dear!" Daisy exclaimed. "What could this mean?" She was a white duck wearing a small tiara, and a refined purple dress with a high, wide collar and a V-neck. Long eyelashes extended from her large, blue eyes.

Not far, Hikari sat on top of the Library's desk, cross-legged. She had a rag in one hand and a kunai knife, which she was polishing, in the other. "I, think it means the King, and then Donald, Goofy, and I are going on a mission—," she blew on the knife; checked cleanliness, "—to save the worlds."

Daisy put her hands on her hips, ready to say something, but then the queen spoke. "It means we'll just have to trust the king." The female mouse's gloved hands were folded on the skirt of her pink dress.

Hikari shrugged a shoulder as she checked her reflection in the knife. "Yeah, that too."

"Gawrsh, I sure hope he's alright," Goofy said. He was a tall, dog-like figure and King Mickey's most loyal Court Knight. Two gargantuan teeth always protruded from his mouth.

"Of course he is. Those stars, other worlds, have the problem."

The court Magician, Donald Duck, squawked at the girl. "Do you have to comment on everything?" She answered affirmatively, turning the duck's white feathers red beneath his wizard hat. He only glared at her, however, and then turned to Queen Minnie cordially. "Your Highness, don't worry. We'll find the king, and this 'key.'"

"Thank you," Queen Minnie said, "all of you."

Hikari hopped off the desk, replacing the kunai in her pouch. With the thumb of the hand that carried the rag, she scratched her hairline. "No problemo, Your Highness." She walked over to Goofy and slumped an arm over his shoulder. "If you don't mind, though, we'd better go ASAP, if we want to find him soon!"

The queen stepped forward, "Hold on one minute. I want him to accompany you."

"Who?" the girl questioned impatiently.

"Over here!" a voice called. There was movement in Hikari's peripheral vision, drawing her eyes to where she had been sitting previously. Near the edge of the desk, a cricket dressed in a coat, red vest, top hat and loafers was jumping up and down. A small red umbrella, suitable to his size, was held in his hand.

"Cricket's the name, Jiminy Cricket."

"Okay, cool, talking cricket. 'Jiminy.'" Hikari removed her arm from Goofy and walked toward the desk. Jiminy hopped onto the offered hand. "Now can we go? Akamaru, come boy!" The white dog perked up from his laying position and followed Hikari ro the door. "I'll get the Chipmunks and prepare the Gummi!"

She, Jiminy, and Akamaru were gone, leaving the others to watch in awe, aside from Goofy. He did not seem surprised. "Maybe we ought to get going, Donald," he said. "The sooner we go, the sooner we find King Mickey, and that 'key.'"

Donald scowled at the door with crossed arms, but nodded. Him and Hikari seemed to have a talent for rubbing each other the wrong way; partly because of her lack of respect.

**

* * *

**

"So, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?" Hikari asked as they made their way to the Gummi Garage.

"It was terrible! We were scattered," the cricket answered from atop her head. "And as far as I can see, I'm the only one that made it to this castle."

"Same here, except Akamaru." The dog barked. "Yeah, boy . . . maybe we'll find him. Kiba, Naruto . . . maybe." _If his heart hasn't already been released to the darkness. . . ._

**

* * *

**

The night was its darkest, a sky blackened by grey clouds and stars, completely eclipsed. As had become custom, solely a few brave souls ventured into the streets at their own expense, for the Heartless were always plentiful when the Sun was down; particularly on this night.

The pudgy, four-legged, animalistic Shadows with antennae and tiny claws, the most common form, were also the most extinguished. It was a blessing that the Heartless most plentiful was also the weakest.

Stronger Heartless scoured Konoha, as well. Almost as popular as the Shadows, floating Heartless with dark faces, a straw hat with an extended point, and colored robes, invaded. Red Nocturnes, Yellow Operas, Blue Rhapsodies, and Green Requiems; they attacked with magic, though the Green Requiems actually healed fellow Heartless instead of taking the offensive. Nocturnes released fire, Operas shocked with lightning, and Rhapsodies froze with ice.

Little did the Land of Shurikon and Kunai know, those Heartless were only the beginning.

Hikari Uzumaki could not sleep. She lie in her bed, blanket drawn up to her ribs with the exception of her left arm, which rested on her pillow above her head. Her eyes were tired, and wanted to close, but she could only bring herself to blink every so often. The girl turned over and sighed, seeming to look far away. Then, she reached onto her bedside table, grabbed the seal she had obtained from Tsunade that day, and returned to laying on her back, bringing her other arm from under the blanket.

"Naruto. . . . Hm. Could my brother, really do this?"

Fearsome images flashed through her mind of Naruto, when the Nine-Tailed Fox had begun taking over him in the past. Those had only been in times in which he experienced great, negative emotion, like anger. His eyes would begin to glow yellow, and darkness would bubble from his skin, coating him and then extending into his first tail. As each tail appeared, he grew more feral.

Hikari wondered how Tsunade thought Naruto would allow her to get close enough to slap the tag on him when he was the Fox. There had been an instance in which he had injured his long time crush, Haruno Sakura, when in that form. And in these times, when there was much more darkness to influence him.

She sighed again and dropped her hands, looking at the ceiling again. Next she shook her head and pulled herself from underneath her sheets to sit on the edge with her face in her hands. _Please don't let it come to this,_ she pleaded.

A storm was under way, outside, when she lifted her head. She could see it on the other side of her window; an angry, terrible mass of—she could not depict the substance. It did not look like an ordinary storm, what with the colors of red, deep violet, pure black, and white sparks not necessarily electric.

Lines formed on Hikari's brow as she ran to the window, seal still in hand, and stared out it with parted lips. Her eyes first looked at the sky, but then she looked at the streets; her and Naruto's apartment was on the second floor, so she had a good view of the gigantic horde of Heartless parading about. Her breath caught as she mentally cursed and ran from the window, out of her room. There were new Heartless breeds down there!

The run through the hallway was a short one, and she slid into the wall at the end when she did not stop herself soon enough at the door just before it. She opened the door, finding a bedroom with clothes, scrolls, training dummies, and other items strewn across the floor. A censor would have his work cut out for him if he were to monitor the words rushing through her mind as she slammed the door, ran back to her room, found her shurikon holster and kunai pouch, and sprinted outside, kunai ready.

Outside was a veritable maelstrom of massive, acherontic potency. A small whirlpool began churning in her stomach. _I have to find Naruto._

To her left stood a group of Heartless; new ones she had never seen before, bigger ones. One type hid behind a shield that bore a fierce dog's face with three glowing yellow eyes. The Heartless itself, a Defender, was large, bulky, and seemed to wear blue and purple armor.

An airborne Heartless was the Wyvern, which looked like a bird of prey. The color of the feathers was a dull red-orange, with a purple tinge, it had large, sharp talons, and it looked to have teeth instead of a beak. Hikari did not like the look of either of them, nor of a third new kind shaped like a large shurikon standing on one point. The latter hopped up, threw itself at her, but she dodged and threw a kunai at it. It seemed like it was damaged, but it did not disappear in one strike like the Shadows, Nocturnes, Operas, Rhapsodies, and Requiems did.

Hikari swallowed and dodged as more Shurikon Stars whizzed by her and the Defenders began shooting fire through the fangs of their shields. The Wyverns swooped in, and to dodge she soon had to do some fancy acrobatics, and formed a sign with her hands. _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Ten clones of herself appeared in a cloud of smoke. Each one of them tried to avoid being hit, so as not to poof away, and brought out some form of ninja tool. One formed a string of handsigns, brought a loop made by her pointer finger and thumb to her lips, and released four small fireballs. Two wyverns and a Shurikon Star were hit and disappeared into clouds of darkness, releasing a captive heart, each. Four shurikon, when the flame extinguished, were shown to have landed in the dirt. _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

She next left her clones to attempt ridding of those Heartless and continued running, keeping an eye out for more. There were too many to attempt extinguishing before being attacked first, and she did not know how much more time she had, thus she decided to be defensive.

Soon, she came across three Large bodies; tall, fat Heartless with purple vests, purple cuffs, and white hats, two of them swung their arms, aiming to hit the lone man they surrounded, and the other thumped its gut, breaking into a waddle-sprint for Hikari. She eluded the Large Body by running right, and formed a string of signs using her hands. Like the clone she had created before, she brought her hand to her mouth, but instead of four small fireballs, she released a giant one, just the size of the Heartless.

_Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_ It was hit, faltered, but did not disappear until she followed up with two shurikon.

The girl checked back to where she had seen the other two Large Bodies just in time to see the last one be dispatched by the man that had been surrounded. There was the chirping of one thousand birds that dwindled with the lightning in his hand and hearts were released. "Chidori."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Hikari called to him. He was twenty-nine years old with silver, lopsided, spiky hair and covered his face below his eyes with blue cloth. A Konoha hitaiate was askew on his forehead, hiding his left eye. In the traditional jonin outfit for Konoha, he wore the forest green flak jacket, long-sleeved navy blue shirt, and pants the same blue tucked into bandages on his shins that went into his zori. There were metal plates on his blue, fingerless gloves.

"Hikari?" He was not truthfully her teacher, but she called him so simply because he was Naruto's. She found it quite unnerving how passive he seemed, since points of emotion were concealed.

The girl nodded and asked hopefully, "Have you seen Naruto?"

"No. He wasn't home?"

She shook her head earnestly. "Kakashi-sensei, you don't really think he could—"

"Whether I think so or not, it's better to be safe than sorry," he said quickly, cutting her off. "He was probably training. We'll find him, maybe before it's too late."

**"Maybe?"** she asked incredulously.

"Yes. I can't say for certain if we will make it or not," he answered as-a-matter-of-factedly.

"You're not very optimistic, are you?"

"No, but I'm not pessimistic, either." The only visible eye closed in a curve that led one to believe he smiled. Hikari blinked and looked at him blankly. Then, a building by them collapsed, bursting with an incalculable amount of Shadows; they nearly snapped their necks regarding it.

"We'd better get going," she said breathlessly, and began running again.

**

* * *

**

Presently, Hikari shook the memory from her mind. She, Jiminy, Donald, and Goofy were seated in the cockpit, her piloting the Gummi Rocket, and outside the windshield was the vastness of space, dotted with stars and other, far away worlds. It came to her realization that she should pay attention to her current surroundings since Heartless Gummies sometimes harassed voyagers.

For their journey, she had rid herself of the apron. Donald was also dressed in an outfit that did not make one guess him to be an other-worldly Court Magician; Goofy also did not appear to be a knight. The only clue to their true home was Goofy's shield, as the King's Emblem adorned it, but the chances of them being recognized as foreign by the weapon was slim, as it could simply be construe as decoration, not symbolism for one's loyalty.

The reason for the concern was that, if recognized, they would meddling in the affairs of other worlds. It was imperative that the group stay wary of protecting the world order. Hikari found that rule to be a little asinine, since the disappearances of worlds made for uncontrollable immigration, thereby already jeopardizing world "order" to where being recognized as foreign would not be very grand of a deal, but said nothing.

Goofy squinted at something outside the Gummi, screwing up his face in concentration. Then, he slid to the edge of his seat and pointed in one swift movement. "Look! A star's goin' out!"

Everyone followed his finger and saw the star flicker before disappearing. Hikari narrowed her eyes, and Donald said, "We'd better hurry!"

The girl nodded and agreed, pressing a button in front of her that hastened speed.

**End of Chapter One**

Next Time on When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Two: More Manifest Than Memory

"You . . . found a boy?" she asked curiously. He sat, slumped, in an unconscious state. His hair, of which there was a lot, was dark brown and spiked. Baggy red shorts matched his shirt and a dark blue, short white-sleeved hoodie stayed unzipped, showing a crown medallion. In a hand covered with a white, fingerless glove, he held a sword that looked like a key.

Hikari's jaw dropped. "You found the 'key!'"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! God bless you :)**


	2. More Manifest Than Memory

Recap From the Prior Chapter: Goofy squinted at something outside the Gummi, screwing up his face in concentration. Then, he slid to the edge of his seat and pointed in one swift movement. "Look! A star's goin' out!"

Everyone followed his finger and saw the star flicker before disappearing. Hikari narrowed her eyes, and Donald said, "We'd better hurry!"

The girl nodded and agreed, pressing a button in front of her that hastened speed

**Chapter Two: More Manifest Than Memory**

"Where's that key . . .?" Donald wondered aloud as he took a few steps into the First District of Traverse Town, arms crossed. His eyes scrutinized the scene before him, where a few shops and a café stood. Few people were present.

"Hey, ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon," Goofy offered. Jiminy hung onto the tall, lime-green hat that covered the knight's bone-shaped head.

"The goof's got a point," Hikari pointed out. Akamaru, in her arms, barked, trying to wrestle himself free. "Mickey said he'd tell us where to go. Maybe—Akamaru!" The dog jumped down and began running toward the shops. He disappeared in-between two buildings; the Item Shop and Accessory Shop. "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Donald grumbled an undecipherable response as the girl chased after the dog. Him and Goofy continued on, toward the other side of the Accessory Shop.

At the mouth of the alley, the teen encountered some boxes in the corner. It was short straight ahead, but then she looked left, and a little ways down was Akamaru as he sniffed yellow tennis shoes. More boxes obstructed her view of whom those shoes belonged to, but so far she could tell it was someone with peach skin. She walked further in; Akamaru wagged his tail and barked up at her.

"You . . . found a boy?" she asked curiously. He sat, slumped, in an unconscious state. His hair, of which there was a lot, was dark brown and spiked. Baggy red shorts matched his shirt and a dark blue, short white-sleeved hoodie stayed unzipped, showing a crown medallion. In a hand covered with a white, fingerless glove, he held a sword that looked like a key.

Hikari's jaw dropped. "You found the 'key!'"

Akamaru simply wagged his tail and then began sniffing the boy again. He climbed over his legs into his lap, and then set his paws on his chest. After sniffing the boy's face with his cold, wet nose, he began licking. The boy must have been in too deep out of consciousness for the roughness and saliva to break through, for he did not stir.

Hikari rested her hands on her knees as she bended to get a better look at the brunette, thinking. After a moment, she raised one hand and smacked the boy, flopping his head to the side. "Ow!" The boy groaned and opened one blue eye as he flinched away from Akamaru's tongue bath. His other eye opened, and Hikari could see that he bore the appearance of a kid.

"What a dream . . .," he muttered; his voice had yet to change from pubescence.

"Are you sure it was that? A dream?" she asked. "You look kinda roughed up."

The Keybearer lifted his head, seeing a girl with stone-grey eyes and blonde hair, wearing a gentle smile, whom he had never met before. Then, he blinked, and that image was replaced by the countenance of an emotionless girl with black hair and yellow eyes. "Huh?"

"You're sleeping behind an Item Shop, bearing only a weapon," Hikari responded slowly. She already knew what happened to this boy, without him saying. Quietly, she lowered her eyes from his face, and said, "Your world . . . I'm sorry to say, is gone. So might your friends, but maybe, like you, they're simply scattered, on a new world."

"A new . . . world?"

Hikari nodded in response. "Traverse Town." She paused for a moment, allowing her words to marinate. "Listen . . . we can find your friends. I'm searching for someone, too. This group I'm with has a Gummi Ship—"

"Gummi Ship?"

"It's a rocket made of blocks that stick only to each other. We're using it to explore other worlds. Perhaps your friends, or the one I'm looking for, are on one of them."

The boy blinked and raised his head, meeting her eyes. "You mean . . . we can find Riku, and Kairi?"

". . . sure." She received a small smile; then, she stood and offered a hand. He took it, and was helped to stand upright. He was inches shorter than her. "Name's Hikari; most people call me 'Hiki' for short, 'cause they think it's funny."

"I'm Sora," he responded, pointing to himself with his thumb, then he bended to pet Akamaru. "What about your dog?"

"Not mine. Belongs to someone I know. Call him 'Akamaru.' Come on." She motioned for him to follow. "I told the others to go on ahead. We should find them, before we search for anyone else." Without waiting for a response, she began walking away. Sora stood from petting Akamaru, looking at her, then gandered at the dog again. He looked up at him, grinning openly, before padding after Hikari.

Sora's eyes followed the dog, but not far prior to glancing them to the star-filled sky. He lowered his head and those sad blue orbs turned half-lidded as he absently stared at the wall of the shop.

Someone whistled, breaking him from his thoughts, and called his name. He jumped a little and turned toward the vocalization. Hikari stood with Akamaru, hands on her hips. "Sora! What're you waiting for, an engraved invitation?"

The brunette smiled a little and then ran after her. When he caught up, she regarded him with naught but a nod and continued walking. This time, Sora followed her inside the Item Shop.

A small white duck wearing a blue cap and long-sleeved shirt sat on the counter by the register, looking out for customers. Another duck, wearing a green cap and turtleneck, carried a broom and swept the floor. A third, in a red version of the ensemble, was holding items to be put on shelves by the fourth member of the shop—this girl was human.

She was fifteen, a fair-skinned, green-eyed teen with pink hair cut above her shoulders. A notable feature of this girl was her wide forehead, which instead of hiding, was showed by the division of bangs that framed her face. She wore a red ribbon for a headband.

Her clothes consisted of a sleeveless red turtleneck with a zipper down the front. A white, apron-like skirt was split down the sides, showing blue shorts, and for footwear, she wore black zori that covered her shins. Hikari's eyes widened, for she was donned in the same ninja equipment as herself.

The little duck on the counter said, "Welcome! How can I help you?"

The girl ignored him and stepped forward. "Sakura Haruno?"

The pink-haired kunoichi pushed the green concoction-filled jar to the back of the shelf and then turned her head, glancing at the customers side-long. "Huey, put the rest of the potions in the back." She turned fully. "That's me. Welcome to my Item Shop. What do you need?"

"Hn." Hikari glanced at the ground from the corner of her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck, a slight smile tugging at the edge of where her slips met. Sora looked at Hikari curiously, due to her response, and then observed Sakura's confused expression. _She doesn't remember, either,_ his new acquaintance thought silently.

Sora stepped forward and began, "Well, I'm looking for my friends—"

"Let's see . . .," Hikari interrupted, wondering aloud. "How should I put this . . . I know you. I . . . hate your guts 'cause you and I were in love with the same boy and you were constantly hurting my brother?" The girl snorted as everyone—except Akamaru—turned round-eyed. "Yet, weirdly, I'm almost glad to see you—," she flicked a finger, brushing it against her own forehead, "—Board Brow."

Sakura recovered from initial shock and glared, clenching brown-gloved fists. "Hikari Uzumaki!"

Mocking, she saluted casually. "Affirmative, present and accounted for, Captain." Turning more earnest, she let her hands fall to her sides, and looked at Sakura squarely. "I don't care about the past right now, though—I couldn't care less about Sasuke. . . . Have you seen my brother?"

The shop owner lowered her head and shook it sadly. "I haven't seen anyone I recognize from our world except for you and Akamaru. Three years . . . not a single one, even though Traverse Town has a lot of survivors of destroyed worlds."

Hikari looked at the ground in disappointment. "I see. Sora . . . let's go."

"Wait—," Sora turned to Sakura, "—I'm looking for someone, too. Two, actually. Have you seen a boy with long white hair named Riku, and a girl—she's got short red hair and her name's Kairi."

Sakura shook her head, leading Sora to look in disappointment, as well. Hikari turned and headed toward the door; her hand held it open a few inches when she remembered something. Facing Sakura again, she asked, "Do you know Leon? I'm supposed to meet him—_we're_ supposed to meet him."

"Yeah. He stays at the Hotel in Second District; the Green Room."

"M'kay. See ya," she said, departing with a slight wave.

* * *

Hikari, Akamaru, and Sora entered Second District; they did not make it far inside before they were ambushed by a bunch of Shadows. Hikari drew out kunai and threw them at their assailants as Sora began defending himself with the Keyblade. The instant they were hit with kunai, they disappeared, but Sora's Keyblade had to land hits a few times to extinguish them. Akamaru bit a few, but he had to wrestle with them a little before hearts were released.

Hikari rolled her eyes—_That's the power of the Key?_—but soon left her mind open only to fighting as more Shadows kept replacing the ones extinguished. They were relentless, creeping up behind and seemed untouchable when appearing two-dimensional.

"How many are there of these things?!" Sora exclaimed. The girl peeked at him; the Heartless were more interested in him than her, three jumping him at a time to where he had to shake them off before hitting them.

Deciding on a change in tactic, she put away the kunai she had been about to throw and bit her thumb, drawing blood, before quickly making hand signs. She wiped the bloody thumb on a seal on her shurikon holster. _Summoning Jutsu!_

In a small puff of smoke, a bar folded in three parts appeared by the seal. Hikari grabbed it and smacked it in the air, so it locked straight. As a polearm, she began using it to slam multiple Heartless at once, making more disappear, quicker. She tried helping Sora, drawing the creatures away from him and hitting them before they landed on him. Unfortunately, her pole eventually got too close, and she hit his head, making him fall unconscious.

"You're kidding me!" Hikari continued to keep Heartless away from him, coming to the conclusion it was at least fortunate that she had switched from kunai, and avoided hitting him a second time. _He wasn't even conscious for twenty minutes!_

A ball of energy came from nowhere and finished a Heartless Hikari was about to hit, followed by a man saying, "Get the Keyblade away from him, or they'll keep on coming!"

"Keyblade?—Oh, the Key!" Deciding to trust the voice, which had come closer as the words were spoken, she looked at Sora and saw that he had not yet let go of his weapon. Her polearm in one hand, she bent down to Sora and ripped the Keyblade from his hands, hiding it behind her.

When it left him, the Heartless momentarily ceased attacking, looking around curiously. Hikari stood warily, switching the Keyblade to the same hand as her polearm but still keeping it behind her, slowly, and pulled enough kunai to extinguish the last six Shadows. The man's voice was heard again.

"It won't fool them for long, especially out in the open." Hikari turned and faced the speaker, whom rested his gun-like blade on his shoulder. "If we take him inside, we might shake them off longer."

As he had spoken, she had planted the other end of her polearm on the ground, kneeing one of the parts were it would bend so she could fold it up again. She nodded in response and tapped the folded pole against the seal; it disappeared in smoke. Stuffing the Key under her arm, she lifted Sora by his armpits and began dragging him.

* * *

The Green Room was true to its name, but included dull golds and mustard yellow with its emerald hues, as well. Sora laid on the bed, still unconscious, against the center of the wall adjacent to an oak door. Hikari sat on a round table opposite of the bed with her feet on the chair. She was slouched so her elbows were on her knees.

Nearby was the man who had helped against the Heartless, leaning against the wall next to the door. He was a fair-skinned brunette with a long length of hair just past his shoulders. His posture appeared relaxed, as he crossed his arms and had his eyes closed. He wore a white shirt under an open, black, short-sleeved jacket and two belts wrapped around his left arm; also, black gloves, boots, and leather pants.

He opened his eyes; they were navy blue. "You're staring."

She did not react with an expression, but lingered a moment longer prior to allowing her eyes to wander. She found a couple of paintings, but was uninterested. Soon, she allowed her eyes to rest on the Keyblade. "Not many things in here of interest. You helped us. Who are you?"

"Leon."

"Oh, makes sense then. Hikari." She pointed toward the bed, where Akamaru had curled up at Sora's feet. "The kid's Sora and the dog's Akamaru." Regarding the Keyblade again, she said, "So. That's how they were tracking him? The Keyblade, which they fear."

"Yes. Taking it from him is the only way to conceal his heart from them, which is what they want. But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that he, of all people, is the chosen one," Leon responded. The latter was said with his right hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hikari snorted. "Isn't that right? Pitiful thing couldn't even save his own world; doubtful he can save others."

Leon lowered his hand. "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"They can try to be," she said. Brushing a bang from her eyes, she twisted to hop off the table and walked across the room to the Keyblade. Her left hand reached forward and grabbed the hilt, examining the blade portion. Next, she rotated her wrist so she could see the chain at the end of the hilt. She swung the weapon, and it disappeared in a bright light—Hikari flinched and gritted her teeth—and reappeared in Sora's hand.

Leon detached himself from the wall and removed the Keyblade from Sora's hand, setting it against the wall again. "It didn't choose you. Things would be a lot worse than they are if it did. Don't forget, you're the one who knocked him out."

"That's not what I meant," she replied, rolling her eyes. "He'll have to learn some good fighting techniques, though. Darkness is in every heart. Heartless are attracted to that darkness. . . . And, it's growing, day, by day, by day. If he's our sole hope, he better be darn well prepared."

"Whatever you say." He went back to his wall.

"You just don't want to admit I have a point. If he's trained a bit, then this supposed 'hero' would have a chance. Knowing some of the people from my world, who are probably Heartless by now. . . ." She paused, closing her mouth. "His heart would not only be taken, but his life, as well."

The first part of her claim was not true, but Leon regarded her with side-long eyes. As she commenced silence, he said nothing as well. He closed his eyes and mouth, emotionless.

Someone opened the door and slammed it shut behind herself. She shook her head of black hair, boy-cut to perfectly frame the shape of her head. "Heartless Heartless Heartless! The just make me so mad! They're everywhere!" Her dark brown/black eyes fell on the Keyblade. "Hey, you found it. Nice going, Leon."

"Still . . . it looks like things are a lot worse than we thought. A lot worse," Leon replied.

The girl did not comment as she looked around the room. She found Hikari, who was going back to the table. "Who are you?"

"Hikari." She hopped up to sit atop the table. "I'm with the Key. You?"

She put her hands on her hips. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie." The proud stance Yuffie had raised a brow on Hikari. The self-proclaimed "great ninja" wore very short white shorts, orange shoes over thigh-length socks, a green tank top with blue straps that revealed her stomach, fingerless gloves that covered her forearms, fishnet sleeves, a white headband over her forehead, and a yellow scarf around her neck.

"Right. Well. Interesting, because I don't feel any type of chakra emanating from you, no special power," she replied. "Only 'magic' that every world but mine seems to have the affinity for."

"Chakra? What's that?" Her head lilted to the side. "Oh, that's the stuff Sakura talked about! Nope, don't have any of that. That doesn't mean I'm not a great ninja." She paused, or finished, rather, and Hikari was about to respond, when Sora groaned. Yuffie bounced over to the bed. "He's waking up!"

Hikari narrowed her eyes. _She shows her emotions so . . . freely._

Sora was coming to, but she did not pay attention to him and twisted so her side was parallel to the wall in which the bed rested against. She heard Sora mistake Yuffie for "Kairi" and the ninja proclaim herself as great once again; however, the exchange was not preeminent in her senses.

* * *

Hikari and Kakashi sprinted toward the Northern end of Konoha, where a monument to the past four Hokages, prior to Tsunade, had their faces carved into the mountain—it was tradition. In that general direction they would come across a popular training ground near the Heroes' Memorial Stone. Not only was that thought to be where Naruto was, but just above it were the heads of the Hokages' where the epicenter of the storm was.

_Not a positive sign,_ Hikari pointed out to herself.

Soon, they came to their destination. The field was open, mostly, with a stone monument of no single geometric shape where names of ninja killed in action were listed; some commonly referred to it as the K. I. A. stone, but it officially went by the Heroes' Memorial Stone. There were also three logs planted in the ground, used to practice throwing projectile weapons with precision when a target was added.

Some ninja were there—very few—fighting Heartless, but none of them were the one they were searching for. _Naruto . . . where are you?_

A giant snake crashed into the area, breaking a large clump of the forest's trees and it swept its mouth across the field. Its scales were a copper color, and it wore a red scarf around its neck. If Hikari was to stand next to its head, her feet and its chin on the ground, her height would only reach its eye. The body was not fully seen, therefore its length was indiscernible. On top of its head was a mark where the three heads of commas faced one focal point.

The expression on Hikari's face changed; she clenched her teeth and her brow went from a worrisome furrow to her eyebrows snapping together. Her hand went in front of her right hip, above her thigh at about her pant-line. She started to run toward the snake, but Kakashi threw an arm to his side to stop her; she let out an "oof!"

"Don't," he advised as the snake swallowed up a ninja. His single visible eye watched warily.

"Why not?" the girl demanded. "It's not like I haven't faced a snake before!"

"Not my concern. The seal is time-sensitive, and we don't know yet if the clock has begun ticking—"

A large crash and boom was heard, drawing their attention. The Hokage Faces were half-destroyed as the Third and Fourth's faces had been turned into tumbles of rock that continually fell. Hikari's eyes widened at the flash of a long, dark tail sweeping across the front. Half of the Second's hair was blown away.

Kakashi's eye frowned. "That answers it. Time has already begun, and it may have already run out—Go on, Hikari, I'll take care of this snake."

Smirking wryly, she said, "Sounding pretty pessimistic, now."

"Realistic, not pessimistic," he said, taking out a kunai and turning to face the snake. "And that's because the situation is grim. I told you to go."

Something had been somehow light in his speech, before. Now, he was profoundly serious, putting a weight on her. She nodded, slowly taking a few steps backward, but then turned and ran faster, toward the Great Hokage Faces; what was left of them.

Darkness had befallen Konoha so heavily, and it seemed to be consuming the Land of Shurikon and Kunai in the last few hours. There was the morbid feeling in her heart that, even if Naruto had not become the Fox, there would have been no difference; this was inevitable.

She expelled those thoughts from her mind and soon arrived at the bottom of the mountain in which the Faces were carved. There was a great pile of stone at the foot of the mountain, and Hikari could see a creature just under the Faces, planted on the side of the formation. It had a half-human look about it, but with long ears, glowing yellow eyes, and five tails.

_"NARUTO!"_ she yelled. The feral beast did not spare her a glance as it continued destroying the Faces. She stared in horror as large boulders tumbled down, but she had stared passed those to the Fox. Her senses did not come back to her until the rock landed next to her, and she noticed the giant stone shard descending toward her.

Just in time, she dodged that stone and hopped onto the mountainside; chakra concentrated to the soles of her feet allowed her to scale up the side, hands-free. She continued to dodge debris of the avalanche, keeping her eyes on her quarry.

A few lesser Heartless were on the Faces, further digging into it, and seemed uninterested in her for the most part. Some Shadows had to be extinguished when they came too close. She took three more large leaps until she was on the highest point of what remained of the Second's head.

She called Naruto's name again, but it was drowned out by the crash of falling rock as the visage of the first Hokage was completely demolished. By now, eight tails had formed and flailed in what looked to be a victorious fashion. Hikari looked past it, wondering why the Heartless seemed "happy," but all she saw was a large door of elegant design with . . . a giant keyhole?

The girl had never seen it before. She wondered if the Heartless had been looking for it. However, she could not dwell on it, and reached into her kunai pouch. Quickly, she procured the seal Tsunade had given to her and gave one large leap over the Fox. She jumped high, sailing over it, slapped the seal on its forehead, twisted her body, and landed so she was facing it.

Clapping her hands into a sign, just as the ninth tail began to form, she exclaimed, "Sit!"

The kanji on the seal glowed, and the Fox tilted its head curiously. The final tail continued to form and the seal was taken from its forehead and throw away. Hikari's eyes widened whilst the Fox—which had now completely overtaken her brother—thoughtlessly flailed all of its tails, causing more destruction.

_He was already past the fourth tail,_ she realized. "N-naruto. . . ." The monster of her brother pinned her against the jagged rock, forcefully pressing her against it and possibly drawing blood as it dug into her back. Moisture collected in her eyes. Naruto continued to stare at her; stone continued to rain, and trees fell.

"Please . . . come back, Naruto! This isn't you—the Kyuubi can't take over you that easily! Your heart's still in there, isn't it?" she pleased. "Please! It's me, Hiki! Your sister! We shared the same womb! Don't let the darkness snuff out your light! Find it—!"

She gasped. Her heart leapt from her chest.

Darkness.

* * *

With her mind back in the Green Room, Hikari swallowed, scowling. She reached behind herself and unhooked the kunai pack from her belt loops, bringing it in front of her. Peering inside, she noticed that she was low on knives.

She hopped off of the table, heading toward the door. Leon interrupted whatever Yuffie was saying to Sora by coming off the wall and saying, "You shouldn't go out there."

Hikari stopped and turned. Sora was sitting on the bed, watching her with pitiful eyes of concern. Yuffie was sitting on the edge, also watching, but with a light expression. Hikari closed her eyes and smirked a little. "Cute. You're concerned. Trust me, there's no need to be." _There's nothing for the Heartless to take from me._ "I just need to gather my kunai; I'm running low."

Leon momentarily stayed silent, thinking, but then leaned against the wall again, closing his eyes, "Be careful."

Hikari nodded and turned toward the door again. She had her hand on the doorknob when Sora reached out his hand and called, "Hiki, wait!"

The girl acknowledged by slightly turning her head. "Mommy'll be right back, ya baby. Leon and Yuffie will take good care of you." She left quickly, before he could give a verbal response. Instead, he lowered his hand, and his head.

In Second District, Hikari found plenty of kunai to reacquire. Silently, she knelt and picked them up, one by one. While she took them and put them back in her pouch, a single Shadow appeared behind her. It curved around her right, flat against the ground, and then in front of her, gained three-dimensional substance.

Staring at it, Hikari tilted her head, for it did not attack. It simply bobbed its head, feebly, left and right, almost submissive. She reached her hand forward so her fingertips brushed its head; like it was kindred, it rubbed its head against her hand.

"You and I . . . are one in the same . . . aren't we?" She looked in the Shadow's eyes and saw her own. Empty, just like her heart cavity. She was "heartless." Unfeeling. Emotionless.

Yet, it angered her.

She took one of the kunai and sliced the Heartless away.

Knowing that similarity between herself and those creatures spread fire through her veins.

Impossible.

She shook her head. Her hand went over her heart's place. There still was no beat.

It must have been the memories again.

Scowling speculation, she continued to pick up more kunai.

Still . . . it felt more manifest than that "excitement" the King had mentioned to her.

**End of Chapter Two**

Next Time on When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Three: No Feelings, No Attachments . . . Right?

In the center of the plaza, however, she hesitated. Upon it, she cast a wary eye, slowly overlooking the place. When nothing appeared, she made a cognitive hum and continued on. _That was strange . . . it felt like something very dark, and strong was approaching._

Far behind, in her wake, as she neared the door, a dark portal appeared by the entrance from First District. From it, a small Heartless with an armored white helmet appeared. Almost a second in its footsteps, another Soldier appeared after, clanking when its feet touched the plaza tile.

**

* * *

**

Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review. God bless!


	3. No Feelings, No Attachments, Right?

Recappy from the Last Chappy: She shook her head. Her hand went over her heart's place. There still was no beat.

It must have been the memories again.

Scowling speculation, she continued to pick up more kunai.

Still . . . it felt more manifest than that "excitement" the King had mentioned to her

**Chapter Three: No Feelings, No Attachments . . . Right? **

Although it did not take Hikari long to finish collecting her kunai, she did not immediately return with her prizes like an obedient puppy. The thoughts that she had been having while performing the task were a little too contradictory toward one another for her to ignore.

On the one hand, she wanted to ditch this world. As she patrolled the area, there was no sign of a face familiar to her—not from the world in which she was born nor the one she had taken refuge in; it had happened upon her that she had not found Donald or Goofy after she had told them to proceed ahead.

She was unconcerned. In truth, she wanted to leave without them, and leave the Keyblade Wielder behind—partly. It would suit her more to voyage independently, for she would not bother with frivolous world affairs and would already be embarking to the next world.

Without a heart, there are no feelings, no attachments. Solely thoughts, speculations, and conjectures.

On the other, King Mickey had expressed generosity toward her for the passed three years since she had appeared at Disney Castle. Although she felt nothing from it, memory served her that she should feel appreciation, and therefore expressed that with loyalty. To abandon Sora, Donald, and Goofy would be traitorous and disloyal.

_If I wanted to leave, I probably should've brought Akamaru with me, too._

Also, despite that he currently seemed of utter uselessness, she was hesitant about leaving the Keybearer behind. For an odd reason aside from loyalty to the King, that is. The thought of detachment from him stirred something within her—within the cavity of her chest, specifically. Like she seemed to be doing so often lately, she would then place her hand over that spot, and meet with the expected result: no beating; no heart.

Another anomaly to be solved.

Whilst pondering these mysterious occurrences, she dawdled through First District. The Heartless seemed to stay away from this part of Traverse Town, despite that many people and Moogles littered the place. "Moogles," she had come to discover, were small pink creatures with tiny red wings, a big red nose, and a red orb on the end of an antennae atop their heads. They ran the Item Synthesis Shop on the second floor of the Accessory Shop.

She ducked into the store last named when she saw a certain pink-haired kunoichi exiting her Item Shop. A disruption of conjecture by Sakura was not a favorable option, at the moment—in verity, ever.

"Welcome to Cid's Accessory Shop! If you're not a customer—git out!"

Hikari turned her head toward the counter. Behind it was a man, probably in his fifties with grey hairs amongst the dirty blonde spikes. The hairs also speckled his chin in both colors, among a wrinkle or crease or two, and a long toothpick stuck out of his mouth. Goggles were across his brow, above his blue eyes, and he also wore a white T-shirt, blue pants tucked into black boots, and an orange band surrounded his abs. The shirt was tight enough to show muscle. She assumed him to be Cid.

"I could be. If your product's any good. What do you sell here?"

"Necklaces, rings, bracelets, anklets, chains . . . accessories. Can be used fer style, and each one has different attributes that help in battle. Prices vary as the attributes do," Cid answered.

The girl nodded in understanding as she walked down the two steps further into the shop. To her right was an unlit fireplace, and in front of her was a glass case with many accessories within. She observed them with mild interest; they were quite pretty. "What types of attributes would they have? They look pretty normal, to me."

Her eyes fell on one bracelet in particular, with a single, pearlescent gem. It looked as if a small green X with squiggly lines on either side was inscribed.

"Some raise strength, others raise defense. They can also help the wearer resist damage from ice, thunder, fire, and dark magic." She raised an eyebrow and inquired how that worked. "The accessories have spells on 'em—that's how the attributes work. They can protect the wearer or help 'im fight. Damage won't be completely nullified, but the ones with stronger spells sure help."

Hikari raised her brow. "Hmm. But then with the Heartless running around, why doesn't this place have more business? You know, because of the accessories that protect against darkness?"

Cid paused for a moment before answering, lines creasing near his mouth as his jaw tightened a little. "Shoot, that's the reason why business is a little slow, actu'lly. People don't really listen, and misunderstand. These accessories don't—or can't—protect you from darkness itself, but dark magic. It can't protect you from the darkness in your heart. Protects the outside . . . on the inside, only the strength of the light in your heart can help ya."

She lowered her eyes, which were shadowed by her lashes, as she looked at the stone. "And when the person bought the accessory, they were complacent, cocky. . . . They're careless. Then, they lose their hearts to darkness, the fools. Can't even sympathize, say 'poor things' because they were too stupid to listen properly—THINK. Should be common sense in these times. Now that I think about it, there must've been countless people on my world that would sell 'miracle items to protect you from the darkness!'"

He momentarily brushed the top of his hand against his chin. "Got a point there."

"I like to think so," her mouth responded without much thought; she was not supposed to "like" anything. "If I didn't have points, I'd just be full of it. What about this piece? Is it for show, or does wearing it actually aide you in something, aside from letting your opponent look at something pretty before you smash their face in?"

The redneck laughed as he walked to the right side of the counter, lifted the board, and proceeded until he was next to Hikari. She pointed at the gem she made the inquiry of, and the man put his hands on his hips. "Don't know yet. It's different from the others, though, that's fer sure."

". . . ." The girl continued looked at the stone. She remembered that symbol, but she was not sure as to where she had seen it. Well, not completely unsure—it had certainly been on her world, in the Land of Shurikon and Kunai. _Where_ on that world, on what or whom, however, eluded her. She could feel a sort of chakra energy from it, even through the glass. "How much? I'll take it."

**

* * *

**

"Can't believe it! I pay those little ducks too much—destroyed all my potions. . . . Now I gotta go all the way to Third District for more supplies!" Sakura growled dangerously. **I'll kill them, cook them, chop them up, and serve them in rice balls!**

She stomped a few more steps, huffing and puffing with clenched fists, but soon composed her self. Her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground, her left hand went on her hip, and she flicked her bangs with her right, sighing angrily with closed eyes. After a moment, she took in a deep breath and opened her eyes.

There was a flash of Hikari's profile as she quickly entered the Accessory Shop.

Sakura bit her lip and walked on. Of all people from her world to discover, it had to be Hikari Uzumaki, an arch-rival of hers on the battlefield of love. One of two, however this one had been a rival from the start. The other had been her one time best friend.

Sometimes, Sakura would wonder which type of rival she preferred. The one in which she had no past prior to the rivalry, or the rival who had helped her come to the realization that trying to hide her wide forehead only made it seem bigger. The former was less thoughtful about stomping all over her, but the same could be said of herself. The one with a history, however, was a different story.

Through a wide set of double doors that she could make a direct bee line for after turning left from the front entrance of her shop, she could enter Third District, and did. It was a large plaza, with a gold fountain in the corner. She continued forward, toward a small alley on the left of a staircase hidden by a wall, where a door with a fire emblem upon it stood.

In the center of the plaza, however, she hesitated. Upon it, she cast a wary eye, slowly overlooking the place. When nothing appeared, she made a cognitive hum and continued on. _That was strange . . . it felt like something very dark, and strong was approaching._

Far behind, in her wake, as she neared the door, a dark portal appeared by the entrance from First District. From it, a small Heartless with an armored white helmet appeared. Almost a second in its footsteps, another Soldier appeared after, clanking when its feet touched the plaza tile.

**

* * *

**

"Ansem?" Hikari repeated from the question Yuffie had asked. She had definitely heard the King mention him before, but as her meetings with King Mickey had been a secret, it would be wrong to divulge so. "No, I haven't heard of him. Who is he?"

She asked from her standing position by the door in which she had entered. Everything seemed about the same as when she had left, as everyone was in their same spots, but she detected a sort of relief from Sora. Odd, since they had only just met. Perhaps it was because of the promise of finding his friends that made him want to stick with her, or it was simply because she was the first to meet him after his world was destroyed and she exhibited "kindness"—though he of course had not known that it had been false.

_Guess I don't care, either way. If he stays with me, I can continue the mission._

"He was the leader of our world," Leon answered.

"Mhm," Yuffie said. "He was also researching the Heartless. He learned a lot of things, which were put into a really detailed report—"

"So that's what Mickey meant when he said he'd find answers . . .," Hikari murmured softly so no one understood. Her hand held her chin and her other hand was on her hip.

"Huh?"

Hikari shook her head to clear it and returned to a normal, casual stance. "I was just thinking that the King might be looking for those reports."

Leon nodded. "We think so too. But they're scattered among the worlds. Finding all pieces of the report won't be an easy task."

"Understandable. Anyway, we better get going. Still have to meet up with Donald and Goofy."

"They're with Aerith—"

A Heartless suddenly burst into the room through a window, making both Sora and Yuffie stand from the bed, Akamaru stand on it and growl, and Leon and Hikari draw their weapons. For Hikari, since it was easiest to access, it was kunai again and Leon had his Gunblade. Sora went to grab his Keyblade.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon ordered gruffly.

Yuffie nodded and obeyed, darting out of the room into the Red Room. Leon struck down the Heartless and turned his head toward Sora, Hikari, and Akamaru. He jerked it in a nod to a door opposite of the one Yuffie had left through and called their names. "Come on!"

In the Alleyway, many Soldiers were jumping about, and it seemed as if Yuffie had already escaped. Leon slashed at a few that jumped at them, and then rested the blade on his shoulder. "Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader! You go check Third District; you can get there through Second. I've got this and First covered."

The girl of the group nodded, "—Sure, good luck—," and regarded Sora. "Stick close to me, kid."

She had begun running toward a door that would lead to Second District when Sora followed and replied, "It's 'Sora,' not 'kid!'" He frowned. If she had heard him, she did not acknowledge.

The boy growled, but continued following her, only using his Keyblade to knock aside Heartless in his way. Hikari was more conservative with her kunai, this time slicing instead of throwing. It had the same effect as throwing, as the Heartless disappeared and released hearts in one blow, but as a bonus, she saved her weapons.

They followed Leon's hastened directions, looking around. Second District was even more abundant in Heartless than before, an unfortunate occurrence. For Hikari, they were not much of a nuisance, but they slowed Sora significantly, which in turn slowed her. When they finally reached the center of Second District, she had reached her limit.

"Leon was right; don't sweat with the small fry! Just run, kid, and let's find the leader. Keep up, stay close," she ordered. As a last minute thought, she grabbed his hand and ran toward an opening between a brick building and the rise of a staircase.

"Woah—!" Sora was pulled, practically dragged along by Hikari's running pace. She tugged him to turn right when the narrow opening called for it, and simply ran past all of the Heartless. At the end of the way, there were double doors, over which a sign hung, reading "Third District."

Hikari released Sora's hand and opened the doors, telling Sora to go inside. Standing in the doorway, she faced the large collection, took a deep breath, released it, and put her kunai away. While they headed toward her, she formed a string of hand signs and took a deep breath, bringing a circle made by her pointer finger and thumb in front of her mouth. _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_

A giant ball of fire was released upon the mass of Heartless, incinerating them from existence, and Hikari backed into Third District, slamming the doors shut in front of her. Sora stood a few feet away, catching his breath, gaping at her, and said incredulously, "You breathed fire!"

The girl stepped forward from the doors, overlooking the empty district. "Where I come from, it's a normal thing. It's called 'jutsu.'"

"That's so cool!" he exclaimed as they walked further in.

"Again: normal." Where they stood was a ledge that was more of a rise from the plaza, and to their left was a house with dark windows, appearing vacant. They walked forward a little bit, and they saw a stair case leading down to the square.

Meanwhile, on a balcony above, Donald and Goofy had their weapons raised against a couple Soldiers that surrounded them. Donald held his Mage's Staff, which had a dark blue orb with a brown wizard hat on top of it, casting spells on the Heartless and Goofy was behind his shield.

"Are these the Heartless guys?" the latter asked.

"Waaaaak!" Donald exclaimed as he blasted one with fire. "Fight, Goofy, fight!"

"I'm tryin', Donald, but. . . ."

To Hikari's ears, there was something like a crash from overhead, squawking, and screaming. She lifted her head, seeing the two she had arrived to this world with as they descended and hearing their mixed symphony of "Waaaaaaak!" and "Ahhhhh-oo-hoo-hwuey!"

Widening her eyes, Hikari side-stepped a little and watched as Donald and Goofy crash-landed onto Sora, whom had let out a yell of his own. They groaned, seeing stars as their heads spun and their eyes moved in a dizzy fashion. With humor, Hikari noted, "Hn. Good thing you didn't stick _too_ close."

Akamaru padded from her side, panting with what looked like a smile, and completed the dog-pile by jumping onto Goofy's back. The triumphant way in which he stood, puffing out his chest, made him appear as if he thought he was King of the Mountain.

"Akamaru, you're supposed to do that when you conquer someone," commented Hikari. He barked in response, wagging his tail. The girl smiled, minutely, and turned her attention to the two beneath him. "Hey, boneheads, you're crushing—"

"—The 'Key!'" Donald and Goofy chorused with her.

"Right . . . so get off him already!"

Goofy stood first, "A-hyuck," forcing Akamaru to fall off of his back and allowing Donald to get up and brush off his blue zipper-clad shirt. The former offered Sora a gloved hand that he accepted.

At that time, Hikari was walking away from them, toward the edge of the ledge. She peeked over, seemed satisfied with the distance to the ground, and lifted herself onto the very edge, careful as there was a fence of black, diagonal metal and star-lamps in-between..

"Uhhh . . . what is she doing?" asked Sora, glancing at Donald for an answer. The duck brought up his hands and shoulders in a shrug. They turned their heads to see what she was doing, "—Hiki, wha—," and she jumped of the ledge. "Huh?!"

The brunette ran to the steps and down them, hoping it would lead to where Hikari was probably a bag of broken bones in a pool of blood. When he, Donald, Goofy, and Akamaru reached the bottom, however, they met with a different sight: she was totally unscathed, standing on her own two feet with her hands on her hips, speaking to Sakura.

"Board Brow . . . whatcha got there?" the dark-haired ninja asked.

The girl with green eyes held a couple of paper bags in her hands, seemingly two or three in each. She did not look very thrilled to see her rival. "Ingredients for potions."

She raised a brow. "Potions? Like some witch?—Never mind. Have you seen anything big, and leader-like for the Heartle—?"

Suddenly, pillars rose up from the ground, blocking every exit possible. Soldiers appeared from portals of darkness and danced atop them. The group looked around curiously; the scene was silent, save for the clanking of the Soldiers' armor when a concaved cylindrical object fell from the skies with a loud boom.

The Heartless insignia was upon the blue-violet armor as feet, gauntlets, and a helmet also hit the plaza tile. The limbs began to assemble themselves around the torso, and the feet were suspended above the ground, rolling over themselves. At the top, the helmet closed over the Heartless's dark face.

". . . think it's safe to assume that's the leader?" Hikari wondered aloud, rhetorically. "Well, it's time for the big bad Keybearer to show this big bad Heartless what he's made of."

"We'll back you up," Donald assured him, speaking for himself, Hikari, and Goofy whilst putting on his war face.

"Me too," Sakura said, setting down her bags against the wall. She began putting on brown gloves, and took a stance as the feet of the Guard Armor and the gauntlets stopped moving, except for minimally swaying in the places of the invisible limbs.

Hikari pulled out four kunai, one in-between each pair of fingers on her right hand. "Then let's go!" She charged in and threw the knives at the Armor with gusto. They simply glanced off of the insignia and fell to the floor. As added insult, the feet began stomping all over the knives.

Toward the wall, guarding the bags, Akamaru barked laughter at the drama she had added in her movement. "Bad dog! Don't laugh at me, stay out of it!" He grumbled and laid his head on his paws; Jiminy jumped onto him, between his ears.

With that minor set-back, Hikari contemplated her next weapon of choice; the armor was not going to be sliced and it did not appear there was a body to pierce if she found ample leverage to puncture it. As she gave thought, she observed the others.

Goofy used his shield as an offensive weapon, slamming it brutally into the foot of the Heartless. In response, it would stomp its foot, creating tremors that affected those who stood within a three foot radius of it. One instance, the foot ascended above Goofy's height and hovered above him before crashing down; just in time, he raised his shield and stood his ground, saving himself from being crushed.

The foot soon gave up the battle of wills and relieved pressure on the goof, stomping to the ground again. He seemed a little silly, trying to find balance as he saw stars, and then his toe was stomped on. Shield still in hand, he started hopping on the other foot as he held onto the injured one, yelping his pain.

Donald raised his staff, "—Cure!—," and there was a green light around Goofy littered by a few leaves. Making a sound of inquiry, he stopped hopping and looked at the once injured foot, tilting his head. Then, he set that foot back down with an "A-hyuck!" and charged again after thanking the duck.

Donald returned to firing spells at the Guard Armor's left gauntlet, calling the element before it was released from his staff. "Blizzard!" There was an icy blast, seemingly of three crystals that hit the gauntlet and torso.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Sakura before she slammed her fist into the other foot. It was done just as it touched the ground, her ignoring the impact of heavy metal on the floor around her, and a limb was sent flying back to hit the wall. There was a small impact crater on the wall and a dent in the boot, where her fist had hit.

_Impressive,_ admitted Hikari.

Despite injury, when the boot fell from the crater, it continued doing its work, stomping on the tile and trying to crush its assailant. Evidently, distance from the torso did not matter in how well the detached part operated.

Sora leaped up at the torso and slashed at it vertically, then diagonally, and then turned around completely to slash it horizontally before gravity called him back down to the floor. In the process, he would sometimes hit other parts, making Hikari think to herself that at this rate, she could probably sit out the entire thing.

Withal, seeing him in action made her decide it was time to be a part of it. Since she was not able to do much or any damage with the kunai, she would rely on her jutsu for this colossal enemy. As the others had the body parts on the ground covered, she concentrated chakra to the bottom of her feet and scaled up the wall a yard or so. Then, she ran around until she was on the side of the unattended gauntlet.

Her hands were ready to form signs for the Phoenix Flower Jutsu, but then she noticed the gauntlets raise themselves and move to spin. The forming of seals was lightning-fast, _—Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!—,_ and four green snakes protruded from her right arm.

They slithered to a long length toward her allies quickly, three of them reaching Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Those three snakes lassoed around their midriffs and pulled them from danger just in time as the boys screamed; the gauntlets began circling the torso with their nails pointing out, quickly enough that they were a blue blur.

Hikari's fourth snake had been bounding for Sakura, but since the kunoichi were on opposite sides of the Guard Armor, it did not reach her quickly enough and was knocked aside by the gauntlets; it hissed and flicked its tongue at the Heartless.

The limbs spun lower and sliced Sakura's arm; she winced and grabbed that spot as she took a few big, quick steps back. Sora called her name as he was pulled back a safe distance from the Heartless and the snakes unwound themselves from him, Donald, and Goofy, retracting themselves into Hikari's arm.

Donald raised his staff and called "Cure!" The same light and leaves surrounded Sakura as it had Goofy, before, but this time, nothing aside from that happened. The duck's countenance displayed confusion as he looked from his staff to her.

"I'm fine!" she assured them as she looked at the wound herself. She uncovered it and saw that it was bleeding a little heavily. Her glove was taken off, and that hand was placed over the wound. Then, it glowed with green chakra. When she moved her hand, a scar had replaced the wound and she returned her attention to the Guard Armor.

"She learned medical ninjutsu . . .," Hikari pointed out to herself in a mutter.

Sora nodded and charged at the Heartless, striking his Keyblade in the gauntlets' cycle; they were interrupted and suspended themselves limply at the Guard Armor's sides. Donald struck one with "Fire!" and Goofy threw his shield at the other one. As the weapon returned to Goofy, both gauntlets disappeared.

Hikari pushed herself from the wall and flipped as she descended; her landing was smooth and practiced. Sora and Donald were working together to bust the torso, and Sakura and Goofy had returned to the feet, leaving Hikari to observe again. Back when she had a heart, she might have been annoyed, as she crouched.

Sakura gave a loud battle cry and lunged for the Guard Armor's foot. Before she could land her punch, the foot jumped up and over her, stomping behind hard enough to create a small tremor that made her lose her footing. As she fell on the ground, the Armor raised its foot again and stomped on her, making her cough up blood. It appeared that her head was hit, as well, for she did not move after that, having lost consciousness.

Thinking fast, Hikari ran toward the kunoichi, as the Guard Armor prepared to finish her. In her early genin days, she remembered learning of chakra control, and the exercise was to climb up trees without using her hands—like she had with the wall minutes ago. One had to concentrate just the right amount of chakra. Too little, the ninja would fall on their rumps painfully; too much, damage was caused to the tree.

This time, the kunoichi concentrated a ridiculous amount into her fist, pulled it back, and sprang at the limb seconds before it would have made contact with Sakura. Momentum made for a pause, as the force of Hikari's attack redirected the limb's course, sending it into the fountain. The sound of the impact was loud, and water began washing across the floor.

She smiled satisfaction, "So that _is_ how she did it!" and picked up the girl before the other foot could try and attack her; previously, the boys were trying to take care of it, but after Sakura's downfall, they had been distracted. The green-eyed nin was taken near Akamaru and Jiminy; the former jumped onto her stomach, looking at her face with concern, as the latter sniffed and licked her cheek with a whimper.

"Donald, Goofy; keep an eye on her!" she ordered. "I think it's time we take this thing down."

"Wak! What do you think we've been trying to do?" the duck responded but waddled beside the knight toward the fallen ally. Hikari crossed paths with them, not bothering to respond. When she came to an acceptable distance from the Guard Armor, she stopped.

"Sora, out of the way!" While she spoke, her hands were already forming signs. The brunette did not acknowledge until he saw her hand move to her mouth, and then he ran away as fast as he could. _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_ A large portion of the Heartless was consumed in flame, but only the feet vanished.

With only its torso left, Sora and Hikari quickly ran toward their opponent. The body seemed tired, as it lowered itself to the ground, so they thought it would be easy-pickings, but as soon as he attempted to strike with the Keyblade, the Armor spun violently, creating a small vortex around itself and deflecting the attack.

Hikari's brow furrowed in concentration as she watched the vortex growing a little bigger, and stepped back. Then, she saw the head at the top. She looked at Sora, who was about to attack again, and moved closer to him, forming a net with her hands as she got on one knee.

"Knock its head off," she directed as he set one hand on her shoulder and a foot in the netting.

"Huh?"

"Don't question me, just do it!" She aided him in jumping higher as he pushed from her hands and sailed over the Guard Armor's head and spinning torso. At the top of the arc, he swung his Keyblade at the helmet, beheading the Armor. The vortex stopped, and Sora landed roughly on his back, skidding and tumbling over a few times.

He was wincing as he sat up, gritting his teeth. Through one eye, he looked at the aftermath of his action: the helmet disappeared, and as the heart was released, so did the torso.

**End of Chapter Three **

Next Time on When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Four: Spite and Respite

Most preeminent, however, was in appearance. Although for some reason she could not remember details of her rival's appearance, and whenever she had thought of her over the passed three years it was like a black silhouette in clothing, something seemed very different about her look. Granted, a few things were bound to have changed over the span since the world she had been born to was brought to ruin, but it felt like more than height or length of hair was the change. Chillingly, she was also reminded of a man whom had played a villainous role in her world, with those glowing yellow eyes . . . she was reminded of a snake. . . .

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Tha**nks for reading! I seem to be on a roll with updating :D Yay! Please leave a review, God bless!**


	4. Spite and Respite

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "Knock its head off," she directed as he set one hand on her shoulder and a foot in the netting.

"Huh?"

"Don't question me, just do it!" She aided him in jumping higher as he pushed from her hands and sailed over the Guard Armor's head and spinning torso. At the top of the arc, he swung his Keyblade at the helmet, beheading the Armor. The vortex stopped, and Sora landed roughly on his back, skidding and tumbling over a few times.

He was wincing as he sat up, gritting his teeth. Through one eye, he looked at the aftermath of his action: the helmet disappeared, and as the heart was released, so did the torso.

**Chapter Four: Spite and Respite**

_Sparkles lighted Hikari's eyes, and a goofy, teeth-baring grin was on her enkindled visage. Biting her lip, she was glancing side-long, laying her chin on a pillow consisting of her arms, which rested on the desk. Tied around her right arm was a blue cloth with a metal plate on it, bearing the Leaf's symbol that was a shinobi hitaiate._

_Her left arm was bandaged, from shoulder to fingertips, and so were her thighs beneath a white hoodie worn as a dress ending on her thigh just before her shurikon holster. A blue belt around her waist kept her kunai pouch attached. Like most ninja, she wore the traditional blue zori._

_The boy whom she was marveling at was brooding as he sat at the desk, next to her, in a blue turtleneck with a wide collar and white shorts. His headband was tied around his forehead, above charcoal eyes and under long, dark bangs that framed an alabaster countenance; the rest of his hair spiked out in the back. White arm-warmers lined with blue went from just beneath his elbow to his wrist, and bandages on his shins nearly led into blue zori._

_She could hear the jealous whispers of her female classmates as she had stolen the seat next to the class heartthrob, Sasuke Uchiha._

_Suddenly, there was movement in her peripheral vision on the opposite side. She lifted her head and looked to her right, where her brother sat. He was clad in orange capris, an orange jacket with blue shoulders and a fur-lined collar. His hair was blonde and spiked, kept from his forehead by his hitaiate. Unlike his sister, he also had cerulean blue eyes and three lines on either cheek; they looked quite different, even for fraternal twins._

_Hikari's expression soured when she saw at whom Naruto was making eyes and blushing. Sakura Haruno planted a hand on her fist, glaring at both Uzumaki; she pointed an accusing finger at them. "Hikari, Naruto; move it! I'm trying to get around you!"_

_Naruto looked past Hikari at Sasuke, scowling when he realized Sakura's true motive for coming to that section in the rows of desks. His sister smiled smugly and twisted her body so that just her left elbow was on the desk and leaned her head on her fist._

_"Snooze, ya loose, Board Brow. If you wanted to sit next to Sasuke, then you should've gotten here before me. __**So**__ sorry," she mocked. "Go run along now."_

_A brunette kunoichi approached. "Hey! __**I**__ got here before you did, I should sit next to Sasuke!"_

_"No, me!"_

_**"Me!"**_

_"Like you even have a chance!"_

_Hikari frowned. "You harpies can argue all you want, I'm not going to budge." __**Plus, if you were here before me, you shouldn't've been too scared to take the seat.**_

_Amidst the bickering, Naruto climbed up onto the desk and crouched in front of Sasuke. Sparks of the malevolent nature flew as their glares met. The girls momentarily ceased. Sakura fisted and a vein pulsed in her overly large forehead. "Naruto, you jerk! Leave Sasuke alone!"_

_"You're not impressing anyone, Naruto," the black-haired kunoichi noted. Mentally, she was thinking, __**If you'd give him the time of day, he wouldn't have this stupid rivalry with my Sasuke, Board Brow.**_

_Ladies in the class began rooting for Sasuke to hit the blonde ninja, all except for two. Hikari and a normally quiet girl did not comment, the former watching the two boys with a lack of emotion, not wishing to let on to whose side she was on. She would only throw a punch at Naruto if he threw a punch at Sasuke._

_Her eyes caught the student in front of Naruto becoming overly excited, taking his arm back, and incidentally elbowing the blonde's rump. He had already been in a precarious position, and with that movement, he fell forward, and his lips crashed into Sasuke's._

_. . . ._

_. . . . _

_. . . ._

_"YAAAAAAAAGH!!!" Girls screeched as the boys broke into a sweat and tore themselves from one another, holding their throats as they coughed, shuddered, and sputtered. _

_Hikari's jaw dropped and she began to glare. Blood lust filled the atmosphere, emanating from every fan girl of Sasuke within the room. Sakura cracked her knuckles, drawing the attention of the blonde and his sister. "Naruto . . . you make me sick!"_

_Immediately, Hikari stood and leaned over the desk to capture Sakura's punch; she stopped her fist in its tracks. Glancing malevolently, she warned, "Hold it, Board Brow . . . it wasn't his fault. Beat up the kid who knocked him over."_

_The pink-haired nin gritted her teeth, attempting to free her fist, but the grip from her rival was relentless. Soon, it was released, and the girls continued glaring at one another; the entire room was silent._

_Later, the students were released to recess. The twins sat on a roof, eating burgers, with their legs hanging over the edge. Hikari took a bite as Naruto said, "Thanks for saving me in there, Hiki . . . I thought I was done for!"_

_She swallowed and turned her head to him, a less-than-cordial expression on her face. Wordlessly, she made a fist with her free hand and sent an uppercut beneath his chin, knocking his entire body back. "What the heck did you have to steal Sasuke's first kiss for?!"_

_Heels over his head, Naruto looked over at her with saucer-wide eyes. "Huh?! But—but I thought—"_

_"Never mind," she said. The look in her eyes changed from one of anger to seriousness and sincerity as she twisted and leaned toward him. A small pause commenced as a light pink glowed in her pale cheeks. "So . . . how was it? Is Sasuke a good kisser?" _

**

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Sora eyed the accessory on his wrist in aversion. It was a simple-looking piece, a metal bangle with little decoration. He was told that there were special properties to it, but he had trouble seeing that; it was only a bracelet! The Keybearer sat on a dark blue couch with his weapon leaning against the round, dark wooden table between it and the wall. "Hiki, what did you say this was?"

Sitting next to him, on the other half of the couch, Hikari turned her head toward him. She twisted her body, facing him as she brought on leg onto the cushion. "Cid said it's called 'Brave Warrior.' Its attributes raise your strength and stamina, so you'll be able to fight harder, longer without getting tired."

For a few more moments, he stared at it silently. "Well . . . why do I have to wear it?"

"Good question. How about another?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she obliged. "Because you need it. You're pretty scrawny, and the baggy clothes make it worse. We'll build up the muscle, but for now, this'll do. The Keybearer shouldn't have to exert so much energy on weak Shadows."

"What! Come on! You barely did anything fighting the big one!"

"Beside the point." In extreme swiftness, she pulled out a kunai and stuck the point beneath his chin. The brunette leaned back over the arm rest as far as he could, nervously looking at the knife; he broke into a sweat. Donald and Goofy's gasps were heard. "Are you going to stop questioning me now? Don't forget I can burn you, too. Or sick snakes after you. Your choice."

"Okay! Okay! I'll stop!" he squeaked.

A young woman entered the Blue Room, back facing everyone, as she carried a tray inside. She turned toward everyone, revealing a pitcher and glasses of lemonade, and stared at Sora and Hikari. Green eyes met yellow as the kunoichi looked over her shoulder.

The green-eyed woman wore her dark brown hair in a long braid, held closed by a pink scrunchy at the back of her head and a ribbon of the same shade near the end. Her bangs were raised and parted over a fair-skinned complexion and ringlets were free in front of her ears. She wore a pink dress that buttoned up and went over her shoulders in thin straps, and brown boots. To accessorize, she had included bangles on her wrists, a belt that was half blue leather on the left and was tied to place by the other half, which was black string, and black string tied a few times around her neck.

The staring contest betwixt the two females continued on for a few moments, their stares unwavering, until Hikari blinked. The woman smiled with closed eyes, "—You blinked!—," and reopened them as she turned to set the tray on the dark brown round table. Leon sat at a tangent to it, with his arms and legs crossed.

Hikari twirled the kunai so the loop-end was near Sora and stuffed it away in her kunai pouch as she sat back down comfortably. Hand covering his thumping heart, the traumatized Keybearer slowly sank down from the armrest onto the cushion.

Leon motioned his hand toward the woman. "This is Aerith. She's a friend."

In response, everyone gave their names. On the side of the room opposite of where Hikari and Sora were, there was a twin-sized bed with light blue sheets decorated by squiggly lines of darker blues. Sakura laid on there, still unconscious, with her headband, zori, and ninja equipment removed from her.

Donald and Goofy were on either side of the bed, and Jiminy sat on the edge by Goofy. Akamaru laid on his belly near Sakura's feet. His name had been omitted, since he could not speak for himself in human-talk, but when he barked, Hikari added, "Oh, and that's Akamaru."

"Hello," she greeted. She offered lemonade around the room; it was gratefully accepted by Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. For the cricket, the glass was set on the bedside table, and he stood on the alarm clock so he could sip it through a straw. Leon and Hikari respectfully declined.

Next, she set the tray back onto the table. She made her way toward Sakura, planning on taking another look at her, but Donald was in the way. Rather than simply ask him to move, she said, "Excuse me," and lifted the duck from under his armpits.

Donald grumbled, leering ahead of himself, as he was set aside, and turned that glare to her when his feet hit the blue carpet. Aerith began checking Sakura's vital signs, not seeming to notice, so he gave up and waddled away, drinking some of the lemonade.

Hikari watched her for a moment, eyes not conveying her thought with a stoic stare, prior to changing the direction of her gaze to Sora. He was gloomily staring at the lemonade in his hand; the glass was enticing, full of lemony goodness he had not yet indulged in, but his eyes were pools of dejection.

"Hey." Sora twisted his head the slightest bit towards her, but the line of his gaze was less than direct, toward her right shoe. The rest of her was only partially in his sight, her left leg across the cushion as her back leaned into the corner. She allowed her right arm to lay across the armrest and her left across the back. He did not see her eyes, but her mouth was relaxed, neither smiling not frowning.

"What?"

"You can't come along looking like that."

He turned his head a little more. "Looking like what?"

Hikari opened her mouth to answer, but Donald stepped forward before she did. He had a lighter expression, now, and his hands were empty. "She means that you have to turn that frown, upside-down." The duck illustrated his statement by tracing a frown and drawing the corners up. In his next words, he mimicked the expressions, "—No frowning. No sad face—," and brought up open palms next to him. "Okay?"

Goofy came up behind Donald and leaned into Sora's view by the magician's face. "Yeah, you gotta look silly, like us!"

"Silly like them," muttered Hikari.

Smiling, Donald pushed Goofy away. "This boat runs on happy faces."

"When I'm not running it." Donald glared at her and she raised her palms in surrender. "He's right. No matter how the mechanic is, the Kingdom Gummi needs to be all smiles." She leaned forward, resting an elbow on her knee. "Me, however . . . I don't smile unless there's a reason to." Tapping under his chin, she said, "Keep your chin up and smile double for me, 'kay?"

". . . keep my chin up?" There was a long, expectant silence as everyone looked at Sora. The boy mulled it over for some time, drawing his gaze more directly back to the ground. From the bed, Akamaru jumped down and padded toward Sora. He stopped beneath the boy's despondency and cocked his head.

Sora's lip twitched slightly. Then, once they returned to pall, he lifted his head in a ridiculously wide grin, baring all of his pearly whites, and making an obnoxious long-E sound. His pupils and irises had rolled to the top, but he began lowering them when he received no response. Questioningly, he looked from Goofy to Donald to Hikari.

Donald and Goofy began laughing hysterically, holding their guts, whilst Hikari simply grinned a little, just widely enough to show some teeth. "That's one funny face!" the knight managed to say.

Quickly, Hikari stopped the grin, shaking her head with vigor. "You guys haven't introduced yourselves to each other, yet. We're traveling together, should know names." She stared into her lap with wide eyes, gently brushing the corner of her lips with her fingertips.

Donald put a hand in the center. "Donald Duck."

"Name's Goofy." His hand went over Donald's.

"I'm Sora," he said, also putting his hand in.

All three looked at Hikari, waiting for her to join in. She looked up, hand still near her mouth, and returned her eyes to normal while bringing that hand down, staring right back. "But you guys know me." They continued to stare, silently urging her to join in. Reluctantly, she obliged. "Hikari Uzumaki. 'Hiki.'"

"All for one, and two for tea!" Goofy exclaimed.

Hikari gave him a side-long glance. "Try 'one for all.'"

"A-hyuck! Right. 'All for one, and one for all.'"

Everyone smiled except for Hikari, just staying in that stance for a few moments. She continued to participate, for some reason, her hand continuing to lay over Sora's. It simply felt right. There was a tingle in her fingertips, that went up her arm and to her chest cavity, and it felt like a bondage or tie of some sort was made. She stared at Sora. This was another anomaly that felt odd, yet . . . _right._

She took her hand away, frowning. "How long are we going to stand here like idiots? Our job is done here, we should be heading for another world. Places to go, people to find. Let's go." Quickly, she turned from them, raising the hand that had touched Sora's, and studied it. The tingle was lingering.

Aerith suddenly made a short, "Oh," and straightened herself from hovering. Sakura's eyes were prying themselves open as she grunted and moaned. They were half-lidded when a smile came to Aerith's face, and she said, "You're awake."

Sakura's eyes completely opened and were used to search the room to her left and right, whereas she turned her head only the slightest bit. She caught sight of Jiminy, a glimpse of Leon, and raised her head a little, looking forward; she saw Hikari's back behind Sora, Donald, and Goofy's countenances. The kunoichi sat up.

"You should probably lay back down," the female brunette said. "There isn't a bump, but—"

"There isn't a bump because I didn't hit my head. The nausea is because of my stomach being crushed to the point that I lost consciousness. I'm fine, now. My head doesn't even hurt," she interrupted. She lifted the hem of her shirt some, looking at her stomach. There was a large bruise, a few abrasions that also decorated her arms, and there were bruises on other parts of her body. A bruise almost identical in size to the one on her stomach was on her back.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy winced; she looked terrible, compared to them. Hikari's facial profile glanced at her, keeping any comment she had to herself.

"I tried using Cure, but it didn't do anything," Aerith explained. "Same for Cura and Curaga. Potions did very little, it looked even worse before. I don't understand why, though. . . ."

Leon spoke up. "It might be because of her 'chakra.' Healing magic wouldn't work on Hikari, either. Magic restores health that was lost, and according to what Sakura explained chakra as, it's an energy needed to sustain their lives. When she uses her chakra to heal, it's lending the patient power for them to heal themselves, quicker. It somehow works the same when being administered to themselves. Maybe because they're sacrificing some of their own chakra for health. Potions do the same as magic, but the appearance of herbs helped. But that's only a guess."

Sakura covered her stomach again and looked at Aerith. "In the back of my shop, there should be some ointment. It's the same as what was made in my world, and is very potent. My assistants should know where it is." **They better not have made more of a mess while I was gone!**

Aerith nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get it for you. Yuffie's watching over your shop, right now."

Sakura understood and looked over at Leon when he stood. "I'll go with you," he said. "There might be some Heartless lingering around somewhere."

"Okay," smiled Aerith. She and Leon left the room.

The door shut behind them with little noise. Hikari turned toward Sakura, their eyes meeting. The former's were a passive scowl, as the latter seemed to glare anxiously. "Sora, Donald, Goofy," addressed the black-haired teen. They acknowledged her. "I'll keep an eye on Sakura . . . you guys go and . . . do something besides being here."

They all looked at each other and then at Hikari. Donald asked, "What do you want us to do?"

"I don't know, you guys have brains, use them." She looked at the ceiling and scratched an itch on the back of her head. "Just get out of here. Teach Sora some magic, I sense that sort of energy from him. Keyblade-wielder should be able to do something besides swing his Key around. The training begins. GO."

They seemed to accept that answer, for they left the room, as well. Akamaru followed to spectate, with Jiminy riding on his back. Goofy waited until they brushed passed him, into the Hotel's hallway, before closing the door behind himself. "Well . . . that was easy."

She walked to the table, grabbed a chair, and dragged it across the carpet, toward the side of Sakura's bed. Sitting in it backwards, she rested an arm over the top curve of the back. Their eyes met again.

A vein pulsed in Sakura's forehead. "You have something to say to me?"

"I thought I had you figured out, Sakura," she said after a moment. "You were smartest in our graduating class, but didn't have enough brawn to back it up very well. The only reason you were even on Sasuke's team is that he was strong and Naruto was dumb."

She smirked. "It was destiny. Definitely a sign that Sasuke and I will be together."

Hikari raised a brow. "But he didn't end up in Traverse Town with you?"

Frowning, she scoffed and looked away. "That's . . . that is . . .!" She whipped her head back to face Hikari. "Distance only makes the heart grow fonder!"

". . . ." After a moment of emotionless staring, the girl replied, "Not always." She rested the other arm over the one sloped on the back of the chair. As she muttered, "But . . . maybe. I guess that I wouldn't really know," she shook her head and laid it on its side, using her arms as a pillow. She was a smidgen tired from awakening during early hours.

Sakura frowned and raised a brow. She crossed her arms, pondering Hikari's cryptic remark. The person next to her had changed since the last time she had seen her in an incalculable amount of ways. Most prominent of those changes had to be her personality; she had not necessarily been sociable or totally kind in the first place, but compared to now. . . .

Most preeminent, however, was in appearance. Although for some reason she could not remember details of her rival's appearance, and whenever she had thought of her over the passed three years it was like a black silhouette in clothing, something seemed very different about her look. Granted, a few things were bound to have changed over the span since the world she had been born to was brought to ruin, but it felt like more than height or length of hair was the change. Chillingly, she was also reminded of a man whom had played a villainous role in her world, with those glowing yellow eyes . . . she was reminded of a snake. . . .

Her green eyes widened a tiny fraction as she remembered something Hikari had said earlier that day. "Are you saying that because you 'couldn't care less about Sasuke' anymore?"

"I suppose so."

"Why?"

Hikari rolled her head so that her chin was on her arms. She looked at Sakura, staring silently, and wondered how the nin would react if she learned of her lost heart. Perhaps she would flip out. Maybe she would think she was jesting. Or possibly, it would be construe as some type of metaphor.

She had no intention of revealing that to anybody, anyway. The risk of being slowed down was far too great. "Because Naruto said he wasn't a good kisser." Sakura shivered and opened her mouth, yet was stopped when Hikari realized she had veered off-track from what she originally was going to say.

"So—to what I was saying. Evidently, your over-sized forehead is present because you had intelligence . . . but as a ninja, if you can't carry out plans formed within your mind then that intelligence is of no use; which was quite manifest by your current condition. Or were you even thinking?"

Their eyes met, glaring green versus neutral yellow. Sakura's muscles were tightened under dangerous red pigments coloring her skin. "How about you make your point already!"

Hikari blinked, expression unchanging. "Patience is a virtue, not a vice. . . . I'll give you credit, for learning medical ninjutsu. Only shinobi with exceptional smarts and concentration can become medical ninja. Except . . . the duty of a medical ninja is to _be elusive._ The medical ninja has to stay in good condition so she can come to the aide of others.

"Actually, Sakura . . . I pretty much do have you figured out. You're a hindrance who finds herself helpless while everyone else pulls through, forestalling more than aiding. In a nutshell . . . you're _weak._"

The pink-haired nin was outraged. She lunged for Hikari, releasing an ugly grunt from aching that commenced from her ailments. The other kunoichi dashed away from her chair deftly, knocking it over as she eluded the swinging fist. She noticed how Sakura held her arms over her stomach, eyes shut tightly. Her breathing became labored.

Standing a good distance away from the bed, Hikari had crossed her arms. She brought up a hand and covered a yawn. _Maybe we'll stay the night, before we leave._ "Now that you're injured, you should be avoiding movement like that. Otherwise, you're being irresponsible."

Sakura exhaled accented breaths, Inner Sakura steaming within a violent, fiery rage. Her expression could not fully convey the anger she felt as her body trembled, but she kept to her place because Hikari was right; it was irresponsible. "AS SOON AS I RECOVER, YOU'RE IN FOR IT!"

A silence commenced, one of the type in which the void would be met with the song of a cricket. Perhaps if Jiminy was present, then that absent sound would be, as well. Hikari was rubbing her right eye with the back of her hand, and lowered it once Sakura said her previous statement, casually. "Right. . . ."

**

* * *

**

Not long after Sakura and Hikari's spat, Leon and Aerith returned to the Blue Room. Hikari had been laying on the sofa, fighting to keep her eyes open, as Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed them in; a star-filled night had begun to fill the sky. Sora seemed exhausted, as well.

Due to that, and her own unrelenting drowsiness, she proposed that they spend the night in the Gummi and leave for a new world in the morning. Conveniently, there were four bunks within, a doggie bed for Akamaru (he seemed to prefer sleeping with Hikari most of the time, though), and a small bed was made for Jiminy on a shelf made from a matchbox.

There were two bunks each in two, small rooms of the Gummi. Goofy and Donald were in one, the same where Jiminy slept in his shelf. The magician would waddle his way up a ladder onto the top bunk whilst the knight slept on the bottom bunk.

Sora and Hikari resided in the other. When they had arrived at the Kingdom Gummi, after the boy finished gawking, he claimed the top bunk for himself excitedly; since she was too tired to argue, she allowed him to have it and flopped onto the bottom bunk. Akamaru laid with her.

She was so close to sleep, laying on her side above the covers, when Sora whispered, "Hiki . . .?"

Her response was a barely audible grunt.

He was laying on his back, using his arms as an extra pillow. "Uh . . . do we have to smile in our sleep, too?"

". . . ."

"Hiki?"

"The Gummi isn't even running right now . . . we're fine." She yawned. "Plus . . . Donald's probably dreaming about Daisy, and Goofy's just . . . goofy. They'd have us covered. Go to sleep before I make you."

"Okay." There was another brief silence. "Hiki?"

"Hnnnn?"

"Thanks."

**End of Chapter Four**

Next Time on When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Five: Down the Rabbit Hole

A disheveled Queen of Hearts stalked from her castle, scarlet with rage. She was a large woman, with dark hair and a dress of red and black. There was an uncanny resemblance between her and the queen in Yakumo's painting—in fact, it was precise.

Beady black eyes settled on Hikari, and the pudgy arm belonging to the eyes' person pointed at her. "That girl is the culprit, there's no doubt about it! She is the one who assaulted me and attempted to thieve my heart! Those glowing yellow eyes . . .!"

Hikari's eyes narrowed. "Talking about me? Attempted theft of your heart?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review! God bless :D**


	5. Falling Up the Rabbit Hole

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "The Gummi isn't even running right now . . . we're fine." She yawned. "Plus . . . Donald's probably dreaming about Daisy, and Goofy's just . . . goofy. They'd have us covered. Go to sleep before I make you."

"Okay." There was another brief silence. "Hiki?"

"Hnnnn?"

"Thanks."

**Chapter Five: Falling Up the Rabbit Hole**

"That little squirt took down the giant Heartless!"

"Such is the power of the Keyblade. The child's strength is not his own."

"Turn him into a Heartless. That will settle things quick enough."

"Those two are the kings lackeys. A couple of bilge rats, by the look of them."

"You're no prize, yourself."

"Shut up, you—"

"Enough. The blade has chosen him. Will he conquer the darkness . . . or will it devour him? Either way, he could be quite useful. . . ."

"What about the girl?"

"She denies power attained. To be any threat, she would have to overcome fear. Even then, her heart has already been lost to the darkness. I don't doubt she wouldn't be susceptible to a little coercion."

**

* * *

**

"Look after each other. Keep each other safe." Those were Leon's parting words to Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Akamaru, and Jiminy before they embarked toward the next world. Valedictions were brief, in that morning, so they were quickly on their way.

While the group had been going around town, the chipmunks had fixed the radar, so the ship could be set to auto-pilot when no enemy ships were near and they would be warned when one came within a certain radius. Hikari had it set to that, currently, and swivelled in her chair to face the others.

Most would have raised a brow to the strange sight that met her, but she simply blinked, seeming otherwise undeterred by all of Sora, Donald, and Goofy straining their faces near their elbows. Their tongues were sticking out as far as possible toward the joint with no avail, yet they were persistent, concentrating greatly. Akamaru was at Sora's feet, watching in amusement.

Hikari crossed her arms. "Are you trying to lick your elbows?"

Sora's concentration broke as he glanced at her. Embarrassed, he slurped in his tongue and grinned, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Jiminy said it's impossible. We wanted to prove him wrong," he explained while Donald and Goofy continued trying. Donald appeared to barely be able to get his tongue out of his beak.

"I see. . . . Suppose there isn't much else to do on the Gummi."

"Can you do it, Hiki?"

There was a short pause after his question, and she then turned her chair so her side faced him. Her right arm laid on the arm rest, but she raised that hand to touch her chin. She looked out at the beautiful, star-filled atmosphere outside of the window. "I'm going to say, 'no.'"

In immediate response, Akamaru barked, bringing her attention to him. "What? I didn't lie. I said that I was going to say no, I didn't give a definitive answer to his question. A technicality, but true."

"Um . . . huh?" Sora inquired.

Akamaru looked at her smugly, wagging his tail. He laid just outside of a small cubby that was his when the Gummi went to battle. Hikari met his gaze with slightly narrowed eyes. "It would be much easier if this secret-language-thing was a two-way street." He barked. "Yeah, yeah."

She looked at Sora, who was undoubtedly confused. Donald and Goofy, both of who had given up attempting to lick their own elbows, looked at each other as if asking one another what Hikari meant. The girl closed her eyes, wondering silently why the King had entrusted this group, and raised her arm. Opening her eyes, she said, "Watch," and reluctantly stuck out her tongue.

It had been released to a normal length, at which she paused, but then slithered from her mouth like a snake. One would compare the length to her tongue being on a taffy puller. Her tongue continued to stretch until the tip went to the other side of her arm and touched her elbow.

Members of the Kingdom Gummi gawked, going rigid.

Having expected that response, Hikari retracted her tongue with no sign of embarrassment, and waited for them to say something as she leaned back into her seat. Sora was the first to recover. "Is that normal on your world, too?"

". . . no, very few people have it, actually. An extreme few." She turned her chair to face the space in front of the ship. In the distance, there was a sphere checkered in shades of red and a prominent white castle. There also seemed to be an intricate maze of hedges. "We're almost there. Buckle up."

"Already?" Donald asked, raising himself in his seat to better see outside.

"What do you mean 'already,' it's been hours . . . more than half a day," replied Hikari, buckling herself in. She took the ship off of auto-pilot and took hold of the steers. Akamaru backed himself inside his cubby.

Goofy found his buckle and looked over at the duck, who was still trying to see the world in front of them. "Uh, Donald, ya might wanna buckle your seatbelt. 'Safety first!'" He dropped his voice and cupped the side of his mouth, leaning as far as the strap of his belt allowed him. "And, Hikari's landings can get rough."

"Heard that!" the girl snapped; Donald nodded behind her and buckled himself in. "And it's the descent that gets rough, finding a place to land—I've never landed a scratch on this Gummi, unlike Donald."

"Wak! _This_ Gummi! First one doesn't exist anymore, thanks to y—Waaaaaak!"

Everyone screamed—except Hikari—as she purposely made the Gummi roll over.

**

* * *

**

The Gummi landed onto a high mesa of green grass, which overlooked the interlocked hedges that had been spotted in the distance. Also was the white castle, with tall towers looking like rooks and bishops of a chess game around the main body.

Not far from where the group exited the Gummi was a teen girl at fifteen, Hikari's age, who sat on a stool in front of a canvas propped onto an easel. A pale hand stroked a paint brush against that canvas, forming a picture that from far away looked abstract.

She was a light brunette, with her hair parted on the right and pulled from her forehead by a yellow barrette. That section of hair was tied into a loose braid, while the rest of her hair fell over her back down to her rear and shoulders. She wore a pink robe whose sleeves ended near the wrist, but pink fishnet covered the rest of her arm. Those fishnets were also apparent at her collar bone, under a purple kimono beneath the robe, and beneath grey capris, stopping just above her ankles. She also wore wooden sandals.

On the canvas, there was a thick woman with her black hair tied into a bun. She wore a crown atop those locks, and she wore a dress with a high white collar. One sleeve was red, the other was black. Alternating colors, half of the bodice was black and the other was red. The same went for the skirt of her dress, which parted over diagonal lines of black and yellow meeting in the center.

Also on the painting was a being with five stacked heads; three were black, two were red and alternated colors, but all of them had yellow eyes and a crinkled smile. Its mid-section was red, and separated from a black chest by a yellow line; crinkled arms leading into red and black shoulders held juggling sticks striped with a dark and light purple. The creature also seemed to have double-jointed legs, as the knees bent away from each other on the same leg.

While the group approached her, she changed the brush and color. Between what appeared to be a queen and a Heartless, a heart was painted.

Hikari, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at the painting over the girl's shoulder. They were quiet, but the girl's hand suddenly froze as she turned her head. Her profile revealed that she had yellowish-hazel eyes, and she seemed annoyed by her nosy observers.

Sora felt a little guilty, whereas Goofy continued to smile and pointed. "That's one purty paintin'."

The artist remained silent and turned toward her painting, taking the canvas off of the easel. She rinsed off her brushes in a cup of water and packed them away into a box, dumping the water aside. The box was placed into a blue bag. When she started to take the easel apart, Sora, Donald, and Goofy offered their help.

As they helped her, Hikari continued on toward the end of the mesa. From that position, she saw just how tall the land formation was. There was no obvious way to get down from there with out the others getting killed (she could easily walk down the side.) She planted a hand on her hip and held her chin in thought. "Perhaps I should've parked elsewhere. . . ."

"So, what's your name? I'm Sora, this is Donald and Goofy, she's Hiki, and that's Akamaru," Sora asked as he offered her blue bag to her. The girl accepted that bag, pulling it onto her shoulder, and put her arm through a dulled-yellow one.

She scowled at him for a few seconds, but answered, "Yakumo."

Heartless suddenly appeared, a medium-sized group of Red Nocturnes, Soldiers, and Shadows. Everyone pulled out their weapons; Hikari turned and brought out a few shurikon, throwing them at Soldiers. Akamaru jumped a Shadow, biting it.

"Run Yakumo!" Sora called as he rolled to dodge the fire of a Nocturne.

She did not hesitate, running toward the other side of the mesa. Hikari followed her with her eyes, as she had not figured out how to get away from here, and saw the girl stop in front of a rabbit hole and jump in.

_That solves that problem,_ Hikari thought. She threw more shurikon, disposing the last of the Shadows and Soldiers. Donald cast blizzard against the Nocturnes, making quick work of them, until the mesa was Heartless-free.

Hikari led everyone to the Rabbit Hole she had seen Yakumo exit through. The group was hesitant. It was a deep, dark hole, with no foreseeable end. "Come on, let's just jump," the girl urged. "Yakumo resides here, I'm sure she knows the dynamics of this place better than us."

Akamaru jumped into her offered arms, and without any further argument, she jumped. The boys exchanged looks, blinking at one another, and shrugged. Sora hopped in first, followed by Donald, and then Goofy, who held his hat and yelled, "Geronimo!"

Contrary to what they thought it would be like, falling down the rabbit hole was a slow descent, in which they felt more of a gentle breeze than rushing winds. As they fell, it did not feel like their progression hastened at all, which defied the laws of gravity.

A dim light seemed to fill the hole, steadily becoming brighter as they headed toward it—only, the puzzling factor about this was that the light came from above. Falling had become rising, which caused Hikari to scowl as they approached the opening. Still holding Akamaru, her body rose out of the hole, and she landed a few paces in front of it.

She took a few steps forward, having the premonition that Sora, Donald, and Goofy would most likely land where she had. The only way to go was forward, as there was only a straight path ahead lined with hedges that closed off any other direction.

Behind her, Sora popped out of the hole, landing where she had, and took a gander at the scene. Almost immediately, Donald followed after and crashed into his back; they did not fall over until Goofy finished the succession and piled on top of them.

"Yeah, they are kinda moronic, aren't they?" the kunoichi commented to the dog. He had given her a short bark.

Sandwiched in-between Sora and Goofy, Donald yelled, "Hey! We aren't morons!"

She continued walking forward. "Fine. Idiots."

He narrowed his eyes while Goofy lifted himself from the pile, allowing the other two to get up, as well. He waddled on after her with them in tow. Akamaru jumped from her arms and began walking alongside her.

They walked down the path, seeing ahead that there was a heart-shaped archway made of the hedge that opened to the entrance of the white castle. Between the arch and the castle, there were giant cards running about in a panicked manner. The size of humans, they had heads and limbs; all were either a Heart or a Spade, by the look of them.

When Hikari came closer, she saw that they all carried pails full of red paint, and watched as they scampered around trees; the leaves of those trees, together, looked like a heart. A majority of the roses amongst those leaves were white, but then there were also many red ones that appeared to bleed. One of the Spades was on a small ladder, taking his paint brush to color one of the white roses, red.

She blinked, and just like when she had caught the boys trying to lick their elbows, did not change her expression anymore than that simple movement. Behind her, she heard Sora voice her thoughts. "Why are they doing that?" The girl took a few steps forward, planning to find out, when a Heart collided into her, forcing her to fall with him blanketed on top of her.

The boys laughed as the girl elbowed the card in her attempt to stand (purposely) and effortlessly stood before he found his bearings; his light weight, due to his composition, had made that a simple task. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught that Donald was pointing and holding his stomach as he laughed.

She redirected her attention to the card, who was trying to pick up spilled paint on the grass with his brush. "Watch where you're going. What has everyone panicked around here, anyway?"

The card complied, raising his head. He was shaking violently, with pure terror in his eyes; his face was wrinkled with worry. "The Queen—she wanted red roses, but we planted white instead! Now we're painting the roses red! Before she finds out, or—"

"—she'll have everyone's head," a mature woman's voice finished for him.

Cognizance was brought in the direction of the castle, where a woman of either her late twenties or very early thirties stood with a hand on her hip in a casual stance. She had two-toned eyes of crimson pigments, matching the deep color of her lipstick. Purple shadow colored her eyelids. Her hair was black and curled; her bangs parted over a fair-skinned forehead.

She wore a fishnet shirt lined with red and had a red sleeve over her right arm; bandages went from around her hand up to her elbow on both arms, also covering most of her thighs. A short dress made of layered sashes of cloth with hearts on them covered a slender frame, and she appeared to be equipped with blue zori, a shurikon holster, and a kunai pack. Hikari reacted to the sight of her.

"The Queen will be here at any moment," the woman warned, "get into formation—let me take care of this." The cards did as she advised, lining the sides of the archway to create a path; the buckets were hidden behind them. Each stood at attention, with their backs totally straight. Spades held axes whereas Hearts held spears with heart-shaped pikes.

Meanwhile, the woman was forming a familiar hand sign with her hands. In everyone's eyesight, it appeared that every white rose turned red in an instant.

A disheveled Queen of Hearts stalked from her castle, scarlet with rage. She was a large woman, with dark hair and a dress of red and black. There was an uncanny resemblance between her and the queen in Yakumo's painting—in fact, it was precise.

Beady black eyes settled on Hikari, and the pudgy arm belonging to the eyes' person pointed at her. "That girl is the culprit, there's no doubt about it! She is the one who assaulted me and attempted to thieve my heart! Those glowing yellow eyes . . .!"

Hikari's eyes narrowed and she pointed at herself. "Talking about me? Attempted theft of your heart?"

Two card soldiers, a Spade and a Heart, entered through an opening in the hedges, hauling a young girl. She had blue eyes and blonde hair, accessories including a black headband and a white apron. Beneath that apron, she wore a short-sleeved, light blue dress with a wide skirt. Her attire also consisted of white tights and black-buckled shoes.

"Let me go, I say! I have done absolutely nothing wrong!" The girl struggled.

"Your Majesty," the Heart stated, "she was found in the Lotus Forest, acting suspiciously."

"Aha! Her accomplice!" the Queen accused. By now, Hikari was nearly ready to raise a brow; the blonde girl had to be the most innocent-looking one present. "Get her, you fools!"

"Accomplice! Whatever in?" the blonde exclaimed. While she continued to struggle, other cards began breaking formation and heading toward Hikari. The ninja eyed them warily, taking a few steps back as she formed a hand sign. A large cloud of smoke erupted around Hikari, engulfing her entire frame until four of her jumped out of the obscursion. She could hear the boys' surprised remarks, but then chaos ensued as all were chased.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy came to the aide of the clones, fighting alongside and protecting them. The spiky-brunette swung his Keyblade at the cards holding the blonde. First, he crossed weapons with the Spade. He tried striking him down with a vertical slash, but the card parried it, and swiftly swept horizontally; Sora's side was struck.

Wincing from the blow, Sora momentarily grabbed over that spot. Then, he grabbed the hilt of the Keyblade with both hands and, once jumping over a low sweep, he dealt a mighty blow to the head of the Spade. The card doubled-over, head spinning.

As Sora started toward the Heart, he was struck from behind forcefully, and lurched forward. He recovered and turned, preparing to wield his Keyblade in a full swing, but the card was struck down by one of Hikari's clones. Then, that clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Another clone of Hikari's disappeared, but by accident at the hand of Donald; he had misfired a Gravity spell. The clone had been squished flat against the ground and then was naught but smoke. The other two clones of Hikari, or rather the real one and her clone as far as they knew, continued to fight, parrying axes and spears with kunai and a polearm.

The young blonde girl was dragged from the middle of the commotion to the side. She was released by the Heart, and he walked away from her. Before she could run away, however, red-violet roots rose from the ground and turned into a cage around her.

Just after, both Hikari were struck simultaneously, and disappeared into clouds of smoke. There was a momentary cessation, or cease-fire, as the Cards and Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around for Hikari. The Queen was livid, steam coming from her nostrils. "Where is she!"

The crimson-eyed woman pulled out a kunai knife out of her pouch and swiftly dashed toward one of the Hearts. She took the kunai and swiped it at the soldier. He raised his spear to block the knife and thrust awkwardly. She jumped and kicked his head before landing on the other side.

The Card toppled over, falling on the side with his suit and numbers. Not allowing the opportunity to pass, the woman jumped onto the back of the Card and stabbed the arm. A sound of anguish escaped from the Card Soldier's mouth, but it sounded rather feminine, and was followed by a cloud of smoke engulfing the body.

When it cleared, Hikari was revealed, laying on her stomach and holding where the kunai had penetrated. Thankfully, it was a shallow wound. The woman stood and roughly lifted the girl up by her other arm.

Sora had his mouth open, and round eyes blinking in amazement. Soon, he recovered from that and turned to Donald and Goofy, whom had been surprised, but not quite as equally so. "I think we should stop being surprised at everything she does. Agreed?"

They nodded and chorused, "Agreed."

Hikari grunted, scowling. "Those Cards are clumsy forms. I was right, though. At least as a Card, I'm still no match for a special jonin of Konoha, especially the Genjutsu Specialist that was teaching Team Eight—Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. You're Kurenai Yuuhi, am I correct?"

Kurenai's eyes widened minimally, and her painted lips parted. "How did you . . .?"

"I was a classmate of your students. My name is Hikari Uzumaki."

She was speechless, but soon came back to her senses when the Queen ordered Hikari to be put away. Kurenai complied, taking the captive near the blonde girl's cage. Like with the caged one, she was placed in that area, and when Kurenai walked away, the cage sprouted itself.

"Hiki!" Sora called, running to her cage. His Keyblade was now withdrawn, and he held onto the bars of Hikari's cage. Violently, he tried shaking it, but nothing seemed to happen effectively. "How do we get you out of here?"

She shrugged. "You expect the trapped one to know? I'd be out already, if I did."

"These heathens aren't going anywhere! They're guilty. And the reason is . . . because I say so, that's why!" the Queen bellowed.

The blonde in the cage next to Hikari, who they would later learn was named Alice, held onto the bars of her cage, showing her face between them. "That is so unfair! I've done absolutely nothing wrong, and she probably has not, either." She crossed her arms. "You may be Queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so . . . so mean!"

**"Silence!"** Alice's hair was blown back by the force of the Queen's outburst as she stepped back and raised an arm up, as if protecting herself. A worrisome expression was on her face. "You dare defy me?!"

Goofy interrupted. "But they didn't do it, it was the Heartle—" He covered his mouth. The Heartless were supposed to be a secret, so mentioning them was muddling—_meddling._

Sora turned toward the Queen. "Anyway, we know who the real culprit is, and it's not them."

"That's nonsense," the Queen said, putting her hand on her hips. "Have you any proof?"

"Uhh. . . ." The Keybearer thought for a moment, looking at the grass. Then, he had an epiphany. "Yakumo! We have a witness who saw everything! She'll prove that they're innocent."

The Queen seemed intrigued. "All right. Bring me evidence of their innocence, and we'll hold a trial."

Kurenai had reacted to Yakumo's name, and now stepped forward from Hikari's cage toward the Queen. She kneeled on the grass with one knee, bowing her head and touching a fist to the grass as her other hand rested across her leg. "If Your Majesty permits, I would like to accompany them. Doing so, in case these girls are in fact innocent, I could watch these three, and maybe eliminate them from a list of suspects."

"Permission granted. But hurry up!" She smiled malevolently. "I want to commence trial as soon as possible, so I can convict them."

Kurenai raised her head and nodded prior to turning toward the boys and standing. "I can take you to Yakumo. She lives deep in the Lotus Forest." She then acknowledged the caged girls. Quietly, so only they and the boys heard, she whispered, "I have to tell you . . . the Queen only likes trials so she can convict, not to find the truth; it's not a democracy, here. You could still possibly lose your heads."

Alice brought a hand to her mouth as the other held onto the cage. "Oh dear."

Hikari met Kurenai's eyes emotionlessly. Giving no reaction, she casually sat on the ground Indian-style and fished into her kunai pouch for bandages. Her wound was not bleeding profusely at all, and there was very little blood to begin with, but she figured it was best to still cover it.

Akamaru padded to the outside of the cage and nudged it with his nose, whimpering. Hikari found her bandages and started wrapping her arm. "Look, I need to find my brother. I can't do that if I'm dead."

Sora nodded. "We'll save you, Hiki. I mean, why would you try to steal her heart when you already have one of your own?"

She blinked and refrained from replying.

He waved at her as Kurenai began leading them into the Lotus Forest. His smile was determined, the typical nice-guy smile that, on her world, many boys using it equipped it with a well-known, but extremely corny, stance.

Alice watched after them, brow furrowed. As an afterthought, she called, "The Cheshire Cat I met in the forest might know something, too!" She was responded to by Sora's nod and then turned her head toward Hikari. "My name is Alice. What is yours?"

"Call me Hiki. Alice? Remember their names: Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're the ones we'll be haunting if they somehow mess this up and we lose our heads."

**

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**

Meanwhile, somewhere, someone painted. It was of Kurenai's profile, with her eyes closed and chin raised. Her hair billowed about her, yet she seemed listless, almost lifeless. She also looked to be encased in darkness. In front of Kurenai's chest, it looked like the painter's brush strokes were forming a heart.

**End of Chapter Five**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Six: Riddled in Darkness

The girls were following the dog as it kept its nose close to the ground, seeming to follow someone's scent trail. It snorted up some dirt by accident and sneezed. He set his eyes on his target, the blonde, as she stopped looking around herself and kindly said, "Bless you."

His eyes narrowed.

"Kairi . . . Hiki . . .," he thought aloud, poising himself to jump, ". . . this will bring me one step closer to finding you."

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**Aki's Author Corner**

Yo! Aki here :D Just a couple notes I'd like to make, in regard to this arc of When Darkness Turns to Light.

For those of you who are Naruto manga-exclusives, and don't watch the anime or hate the fillers, I'd like to say that Kurama Yakumo is not my character, but one of the oh-so terrible filler arcs (the horror!!!!! XD) I realize that many fans hate the filler arcs, but I'm not one of them, and the arc in which Yakumo comes from (if I say the official name it kinda gives a bit away) is perfect for Wonderland!

By the way , I'm warning you . . . I will so be having too much fun with this arc. You will partly see from the chapter titles to come XP "Falling Up the Rabbit Hole," "Riddled in Darkness," "Logic Means Nothing" (the last mightn't be set in stone, seeing as that chapter has yet to be written. . . .)

-coughs- Anyway, that's all I have to say, really! Thanks to my readers (those that continued on past the first chapter XD) and my beta reader, Ace! Special thanks to her, actually, and to Sweet Nightmare's Goodbyes for reviewing! You all know I love getting reviews :) Those of you who don't have an account don't have an excuse because I actually do allow anonymous reviewing :P Teehee.

Welp, that's all I have time for! I need to do research for my Sasuke sequel, ,:Violets are Blue:., now :D God bless~!!

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**Thanks for reading, please leave a review! God bless!**


	6. Riddled in Darkness

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Alice watched after them, brow furrowed. As an afterthought, she called, "The Cheshire Cat I met in the forest might know something, too!" She was responded to by Sora's nod and then turned her head toward Hikari. "My name is Alice. What is yours?"

"Call me Hiki. Alice? Remember their names: Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're the ones we'll be haunting if they somehow mess this up and we lose our heads."

**---------------**

Meanwhile, somewhere, someone painted. It was of Kurenai's profile, with her eyes closed and chin raised. Her hair billowed about her, yet she seemed listless, almost lifeless. She also looked to be encased in darkness. In front of Kurenai's chest, it looked like the painter's brush strokes were forming a heart.

**Chapter Six: Riddled in Darkness**

Kurenai led the group through the maze silently, showing no hesitation at any of the forks or intersections as if she knew exactly where she was proceeding. For her, there was absolutely no confusion, whereas Sora, Donald, and Goofy had lost track of where they had tread.

Sora was a few feet behind her, gazing at the hedges with his Keyblade hanging at his back. His eyes soon found the sky that was filled with surprisingly vivid and defined clouds (ranging in many shapes.) He could imagine the worlds alternate to this one, Traverse Town, and his own home, Destiny Islands.

He wondered how many were out there. How many possible worlds were there that Riku or Kairi could have ended up on? How many of those worlds had submitted to an apocalypse, like his own? Another thought occurred to him as he lowered his gaze to Kurenai.

"Um, excuse me . . . Kurenai?" he asked. The woman acknowledged. "How do you know Hiki? Are you from her world?"

"Her name is sort of familiar, but I don't recognize her. Due to her presence of chakra, she must be. I'm sure I don't know her very personally, though," she replied, once thinking it over. "It has been three years . . . I can't say I remember everyone." Pause. She asked in an almost tense undertone, "How did you meet Yakumo?"

Goofy answered, "Well, uh, we saw her paintin' pictures before we were attacked by Heartle—" He covered his mouth as Donald glared at him, furiously jumping up and down in silent squawks. It was in a whisper that the knight was reminded by the magician not to meddle.

However, Kurenai had already caught on to what he was going to say. "Heartless? So they are here. . . ." _Yakumo. . . ._

Donald stopped jumping, having fallen behind a little, and quickly waddled to catch up. "You know about them?"

"They had begun attempting to invade our world for at least twelve years, before they destroyed it," she explained. After leading them into another left turn, she brought them through the path, toward the end. A stone door was in the hedges. "We're about to enter the Lotus Forest. We should reach Yakumo soon."

She walked up to the rock and braced herself against it, using her strength to move the door out of its place. Nearly effortless, an opening in the hedge was soon revealed, and they took a few steps inside. Everything was terribly gargantuan, with flowers as tall as Sora holding buds as large as his head.

The boys looked around. A pond was nearby with lily pads twenty times normal size, and surrounding the clearing were blades of tall grass colored like clouds at sunset, around the size of trees. The trees, for that matter, were large enough that it was impossible to discern their true height; the sky was eclipsed by the trees' canopy. To the right of the entrance, there was a short, but wide, tree trunk.

Kurenai took a few steps ahead, when a cat suddenly appeared out of thin air, bobbing with an impossibly wide grin of white teeth. It was colored pink and purple. Both Sora and Kurenai each took a step back as it disappeared, and then reappeared farther away.

Lastly, its entire body manifested on the tree stump, but not in a conventional way. One of its hind paws balanced on its head. His body and tail were striped in pink and purple. He stepped off of his head, picked it up, and screwed it onto his neck.

The group gawked, until Donald began jumping up and down again. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The cat raised his forearms on either side, as if in a shrug. He continued to wear that eerie grin, with unblinking eyes. "Who, indeed? Poor Alice, and poor Hikari. Soon to lose their heads, and they aren't guilty of a thing!"

Sora frowned. "Hey, if you know who the real culprit is, tell us!"

"The Cheshire Cat has all of the answers—but doesn't always tell. The answer, the girl, the cat, all lie in darkness." His body and face disappeared.

The brunette reached out. "Wait! What girl?"

Despite that his presence was unapparent, the Cheshire Cat's voice was heard. "Her shadow remains deep in the forest, but for how long? Thing will not be as they appear; reality, or illusion? Sight, smell, sound, touch; might affect taste, as well!"

Awhile into the conversation, the duck had stopped jumping. Now, he twisted toward Sora and Goofy. A questioning, concerned wrinkle was in his brow. "Should we trust him?"

The Cheshire Cat reappeared. "To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" With that said, he left; this time, when inquiries were called toward him, not even his voice replied.

"Okayyyy . . .," Sora said slowly. Then, he drew his Keyblade as Heartless surrounded them; the others followed suit by drawing their weapons.

**

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**

Hikari laid on her back, staring up at where the roots of her prison met and twisted among one another. She used her left arm as a pillow and had her left leg bent beneath her while the other foot rested against the cage; for vines, they were surprisingly stable. Her right hand was extended toward the edge of the cage, where Akamaru had managed to squeeze half of his body between the roots.

He whimpered, his tail wagging despondently. She had her hand placed on top of his head and gently scratched behind his ear. It was an absent gesture, while she continued to stare above her, as the affection did not match the lack of comfort when she spoke. "Dumb dog."

He twisted his head and chomped onto her hand lightly; a warning bite that was not hard enough to draw blood, but it did ail her a smidgen. The corner of her right eye crinkled.

She turned her head to face him, still leaving her hand in his mouth and giving way a little to pain. He growled, but since his tail was thumping on the grass, she deduced that he was playing. She tried weakly to tug her hand away from his mouth, but he bit down harder.

Flinching, she calmly said to him, "That hurts. Would you mind releasing me?"

His grin widened, but he did not release her, shaking his head. Two barks came from his throat. In his jaw, her hand flexed and she curled and uncurled her fingers. He raised his rear-end and shook as his tail wagged more violently.

"My hand is not a chew toy." Scowling, she took her left leg from beneath her and sat up, twisting toward him. Her right leg crossed in front of her while the other laid at her side. She grabbed Akamaru's snout and easily lifted it to free her hand.

She immediately withdrew both hands, so Akamaru's jaw clamped shut over empty air. Impressions of his teeth marked her hand, as she saw when studying it, but still no blood had been drawn. "Hn. You've never heard the expression 'don't bite the hand that feeds,' have you?"

Akamaru barked, laying flat against the ground again as he rested his chin on his front paws. Hikari lowered her hand, resting it on the grass. She looked from him to the cage next to her, where Alice sat with her legs spread in front of herself. The young girl appeared gloomy, staring forward with innocent blue eyes.

The teen ninja changed the direction of her gaze again, checking what the Queen of Hearts and her card soldiers were doing. A throne-like bench had been dragged into the area, so the Queen towered above her subjects. Cards stood in front of it, guarding her as she boredly leaned back into her throne, irritated.

It was also noted that each a Heart and a Spade stood in front of the girls' cages, their backs turned. Her eyes then fell on the vines. Discreetly her hand reached into her kunai pouch, and she pulled out a knife low to the ground, sliced the vine shallowly, and saw that a cut was left behind.

"At least something makes sense in this bizarre place," she murmured lowly, but after she made this discovery, the Queen leaned forward from her throne and began yelling.

"What is taking so long? How dare they keep me waiting! Should it take this long to retrieve a girl?"

The cards before her scrambled for an answer, while Hikari put her kunai back in its pouch without their knowledge. As the Queen continued to bellow down and reprimand them, she glanced at Alice. The blonde's fear was apparent, as she was apprehensive of what would possibly become their execution.

Hikari swept her gaze back to the Queen and could fathom the anxiety. Their temperamental captor was close to having literal steam blow from her ears and nostrils. It had been awhile since Sora and the others had left, Hikari realized, but it was not so great a length of time that one should be annoyed to that extent. Then, she had always been a patient one, with few exception.

Suddenly, the Queen stood and bellowed, "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!"

"Akamaru . . . I think out welcome here has just been worn out," Hikari commented, despite that they had not been quite welcome in the first place. Akamaru barked agreement, trying to wriggle his body from between the vines, backing up.

By them, Alice exclaimed, "No! Oh please!"

The Heart and Spade turned to face their cages, wearing solemn visages. Hikari stood, calmly assessing the situation in a quick manner as more soldiers arrived to stand around their cages. The vines withdrew into the ground, freeing Akamaru, so he turned around and growled and barked at the soldiers.

She formed a hand sign and told Akamaru to "Stand down," as they were approached. While she grasped for the correct amount of chakra to apply, he obeyed (grudgingly) and backed up toward her. _Temple of Nirvana Genjutsu!_

Feathers manifested themselves into the scene, seeming to flutter down from the sky. Everyone but the ninja slouched as their eyelids became heavy. The Queen in particular sat down, ceasing to bark orders but drawling incoherent gibberish. Her hand holding the scepter went limp, hanging over the bench. The cards showed signs of drowsiness, as well, leaning against one another as they slowly slumped to the ground.

Hikari released her hand sign, watching as Alice finally collapsed to her knees, hands folded in her lap as she slept. Akamaru was also in slumber, having flopped onto his side. The caster of the genjutsu formed the seal for Dispel and bent down to tap Akamaru. He woke up and rolled over.

A drowsy cricket yawned near her ear, stretching. "That was a short nap."

"Ah . . . Jiminy. . . ." The cricket stood on her shoulder, holding onto his lapels with a smile. Her jutsu should have worked on him; despite that he was a bug and their lesser intelligence normally made them insusceptible, he did in fact have enough intelligence to speak, but then she realized that he must have awakened when she performed Dispel, due to his contact with her. "You were with me, this entire time?"

"Why, yes!"

"Hmm. Didn't notice." She carefully began stepping over the unconscious bodies of the Card Soldiers, away from Alice. "We've got to catch up with everyone, wherever they ended up going through that maze. Akamaru, do you—"

"Now wait a minute, Hikari!" Jiminy interrupted. His voice drew her to glance at him side-long. "Aren't you going to wake up Alice? You can't just leave her here!"

"I can do a lot, actually. Watch me. You shouldn't be surprised. If you have a problem with that, too bad. You should've stayed with Sora."

"But when the Queen wakes up, she'll lose her head!"

"Not my problem." Hikari stopped outside the collection of sleeping cards and pulled Jiminy off of her shoulder by the neck of his jacket. She held him in front of her face. "My conscience left with my brother, three years ago. I don't need another one."

Jiminy frowned and pointed at her with his umbrella, wagging it as he lectured. "Yes you do! Everyone needs a conscience that tells them right from wrong! You should _always_ let your conscience be your guide!"

"My guide? There are too many grey areas, in life, a conscience will only slow you down. Hence, why I'm still here and not already well on my way to finding So . . . Naruto." Releasing her pinch, he fell down to the ground. She began strolling toward the exit Kurenai, Sora and the gang had taken. "Let's go, Akamaru."

He remained seated as she walked passed him, looking where the cricket had landed on his stomach. His tail was still as he barked. Jiminy was standing and brushed dirt off of himself, settling his hat on his head correctly. Hikari turned to face the dog.

She put a hand on her hip. "You agree with him?" He nodded. "You're kidding me. For a dog, you're pretty insubordinate. Were you like this with Kiba?" No answer. "Right. . . ."

She held a staring contest with him, a battle of wills as they exchanged unwavering gazes. He was trying to be cute, occasionally sweeping his tail, while she remained totally emotionless. Neither said—or barked—a word.

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . fine. But only because I need your nose. Dumb dog," Hikari obliged.

When she began making her way back, she nearly stepped on Jiminy—although that was indeed on purpose—and the sole of her shoe was so low over him that he had to duck so as not to be kicked. The only reason why she did not squish him was that Queen Minnie had made him join their voyage as the Royal Chronicler, so doing that would be yet another way of betrayal to not only Queen Minnie, but King Mickey, as well.

Reaching Alice, she performed the seal of Dispel, again, and tapped the young girl's shoulder. The blonde's eyes fluttered open minimally, blinking the after-effects of sleep from herself. They widened completely in a total conundrum as she noticed the fallen bodies of the Card Soldiers. They were so serene that the only factor presenting their livelihood was that they were breathing.

Hikari helped Alice to stand and walk over them, holding her hand. She stepped with care, but spoke normally. "Now all of us are fugitives. Satisfied? Akamaru, do you know Donald or Goofy's scent well enough to follow them?"

He answered with a negative whine.

". . . we've lived in Disney Castle for three years, and you never caught their scent? I guess you only became that acquainted with Pluto's rear-end. But even during the times we played fetch with Donald's staff?" He barked. "What about Goofy's shield . . .? Oh, that hit his head before you could."

Once they finished stepping over the Card Soldiers, Hikari released Alice's hand and paced forward a bit more. Jiminy had climbed onto Akamaru's back like a rider did his horse. He held onto spikes on the back of the dog's head.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"I don't know," was the nin's reply.

A few steps behind them, Alice had her arm up, drawn across the front of her body as her knuckles nearly brushed her bottom lip. Her other hand was poised to guard, at her waist, as she continued looking in complete conundrum at the sleeping bodies around her.

Beneath her buckled black shoe, she felt something she had stepped on. "Oh!" She raised both of her arms and picked up that foot, taking it a step back. A bracelet, or Sora's Brave Warrior accessory, was on the ground. She bent over and acquired it.

Hikari turned to face her, having heard the tiny reactance exclamation, and spotted the bracelet. "Hn." She reached out her hand, silently asking for the accessory, and Alice renounced it. The moment her fingertips touched the bracelet's metal, she felt a shock, and flinched.

Her lips parted in wonder. _Static . . .?_ "Huh. I'm annoyed. That idiot." Not very manifest, her annoyance was brushed off; it had occurred to her that freaking out like she had been over the mild reappearances of her true emotions was a sign of terror, which in turn frightened her more. She had decided to stop.

Acting nonchalant, as if it was nothing, she took hold of the bracelet by looping her fingers through and turned back to Akamaru, crouching. She held the bracelet out toward him. "Sniff this. It should have Sora's scent."

The dog obeyed, raising his snout a little to press the tip of his nose to the bracelet and sniff. His nostrils flared as he gathered the scent, until they suddenly stopped and he barked. He began trotting to the hedge-maze that would lead to the Lotus Forest, if they were to go through it correctly. Hikari and Alice followed.

**

* * *

**

Sora's breaths were strongly accented as perspiration collected on his wrinkled brow. His sweaty hands clung onto the handle of his Keyblade. It was pointed toward a sole Heartless, a Soldier, that seemed to remain as he glared. "Fire!"

Courtesy of Donald, he had learned a spell of magic. He watched and felt power accumulate at the tip of his blade and a blast of flame burst toward the Soldier. A captive heart was released as the flame burned the Heartless from existence.

Though the last one was defeated, it was a minute before everyone took down their guard. Sora took his left hand and wiped the back of his glove against his forehead. The Heartless had appeared in many waves, and he was not the only one that was winded; Kurenai, however, seemed fine.

Goofy offered Sora a potion, which he accepted, and brought the bottle to his lips. Knowing it contained medicinal properties, and having never had it before, he anticipated bitter taste, so he closed his eyes before he drank. To his surprise, it was actually quite tame, and he did not feel strong protestation from his taste buds. The effect was instant, as a majority of his energy returned to him. As he drew the bottle away, he noticed that Brave Warrior was missing from his wrist.

"Ah. . . ." He felt two types of emotion. One was happy, as the forsaken accessory had been upon him, whilst the other was annoyed that it had been lost. Then that discovery, he found strange, but he shook it off for the time being.

"There's more Heartless here than in Traverse Town!" Donald exclaimed.

Goofy and Sora agreed. Kurenai did not reply at all. She seemed lost in her thoughts as her eyes scowled deeper into the Lotus Forest. Her eyes danced and sparkled with a deeply felt concern.

"Y'okay, Kurenai?" Goofy asked.

The trembles ceased. "Yes. Let's move on. Yakumo's deeper within."

Sora nodded and continued to follow her. As they were walking, he asked, "By the way, Kurenai, have you seen a girl with short red hair and a boy with long white hair, here?"

"No."

"Oh . . . okay."

Meanwhile, a boy of fifteen was jumping across lily pad-like platforms that had risen high above the floor of the Lotus Forest. He moved with purpose, holding a weapon called Soul Eater, resembling a bat's wing and having a green orb with a serpentine, pupil-like slit. He held the hilt in hands covered by black gloves, though the bases of his palms were naked.

His muscles were able to be admired, as his sleeveless yellow top exposed them. Dark blue pieces crossed over his chest and lines of the same dark blue covered his sides. His dark blue pants were baggy, tucked into his tennis shoes, and there were blue-grey chaps (also dark) along his hips and thighs.

He stared forward with green eyes, and his hair, colored a whitish silver, nearly touched his shoulders.

**

* * *

**

The silver-haired boy continued his procession, walking along some lily-pads that were close to where he could simply step down or up to the next, instead of jump. The scent of unsullied light was the essence he searched for, a heart that was free of the stench of darkness.

Reacting to a particularly potent whiff, he halted and moved to the end of the platform. When he looked over, below, he saw two girls and a dog.

The girls were following the dog as it kept its nose close to the ground, seeming to follow someone's scent trail. It snorted up some dirt by accident and sneezed. He set his eyes on his target, the blonde, as she stopped looking around herself and kindly said, "Bless you."

His eyes narrowed.

"Kairi . . . Hiki . . .," he thought aloud, poising himself to jump, ". . . this will bring me one step closer to finding you."

The sound of him landing near them drew their attention. He was poised menacingly, ready to fight, with the arm holding his weapon raised so Soul Eater was level with his face. His other arm was extended in front of himself with an open palm, as if to provoke an opponent.

Alice's surprise was shown when she jumped a little and raised her arms in a guarding position. Hikari's eyes narrowed fractionally as her guard was also raised, but did not as of yet draw a weapon. "What do you want?"

"Hand over the girl and there won't be any trouble."

"I don't think so. I already went through the trouble of saving this girl from being beheaded. The conscience who thinks he's mine would probably have conniptions. It would've been a waste of time if I gave her up to someone who reeks so much of darkness." She put a hand on her shurikon holster. "You stink."

"You're one to talk. I can hardly tell the difference between you and a Heartless."

Lilting her head a smidgen, Hikari pulled out four shurikon. "You, me, Heartless . . . we're all beings of darkness. The line between is fine. And in darkness, that line is mostly obscured."

He clicked his tongue. "I don't have time for this. If you're not going to give her up willingly, then I'll force you!"

"It's not like I have time, either. I really don't care what happens to this girl." _I think._ Supposing that unsure thought was the Konoha ninja way kicking in a little, she shrugged it off and was about to throw her shurikon; she stopped just before releasing them for a group of Heartless appeared. The boy reacted to the sight of them, as well.

"Everyone's trying to slow me down, today," she muttered to herself, tossing the shurikon so four Shadows were extinguished. Withal, the group was larger than that, including Red Nocturnes, Soldiers, Shadows, and two Large Bodies. They were of a considerable size, but their numbers began to deplete as the boy also took action.

Working together, due to the simple factor of a common enemy, they did not pay much attention to one another while they fought. In fact, they seemed to only have eyes for the Heartless. Hikari told Alice to hide somewhere as she produced a large, compact shurikon.

Unaware of whether or not the blonde obeyed, she opened up the shurikon and threw it at the Large Body. _Demon Wind Shurikon: Windmill of Shadows!_ As that Heartless disappeared, she somersaulted and pulled the shurikon from where it landed, tossing it again. This time, it curved around and extinguished the last of the Soldiers and Shadows.

She caught it in her left hand and looked around. She was alone, but for Akamaru and Jiminy. The Demon Wind Shurikon was folded up again and put in her kunai pouch. Evidently, the boy had fled during the course of the fight. _Coward._ "Alice? Come out. Coast is clear."

There was no answer. Akamaru barked, padding toward Hikari, but he seemed to know naught of Alice's whereabouts. The girl's name was called again, but someone else responded.

"If you're looking for Alice, she's not here." The Cheshire Cat manifested itself in front of them, laying on his side as he leaned his face into his paw. Akamaru faced him and growled deeply from his throat. "She's gone! Off with the shadows, in the darkness." He stood on one foot with his arms on either side, as if in a shrug. "What better a place to hide than the darkness?"

Akamaru snarled and darted toward the cat, but before the dog could reach him, he disappeared. He halted and skid a few spaces before he rolled and faced where the cat manifested himself next. Jiminy, still riding the dog, dizzily refitted his hat.

The Cheshire Cat talked down from the edge of a lily-pad standing a foot above Hikari's head. "But your friends are still in the forest. For how long, I wonder?"

Hikari scowled up at him, yet her voice was a normal tone. "If you were planning on aiding us, then cut to the chase. Riddles aren't very helpful; deciphering them can be time-consuming, actually." She crossed her arms. "Give us something more concrete."

"The Cheshire Cat has all of the answers, but doesn't always tell." His pink stripes disappeared from sight, but the remainder of his body and his eyes and grin were still present. "If you want to see your friends, your eyes won't do. But someone else just might lend you theirs!"

"Someone else's eyes?" Jiminy clarified.

The kunoichi's interest was captured. "Whose? What did I say about riddles?" She did not appear very surprised when the remaining parts of the cat disappeared from atop the lily-pad and his entire countenance popped up by her right wrist. As she took a step to the side, looking at him, he regarded the chain bracelet on her wrist; the charm that she had purchased in Cid's Accessory Shop was hooked there.

"His!" the cat said simply. That pearlescent gem, bearing the mark of squiggle lines and an X, glowed with a momentary sparkling white light. With the light's disappearance, the Cheshire Cat's face did, before Akamaru charged him again. Hikari lifted her hand, eyeing the stone.

Flicking his tail about, the Cheshire Cat appeared laying on his belly, perched on the lily-pad once more. His eyes were met by the girl's as she said, "This symbol . . . it's the curse given to Branch Family members of the Hyuuga Clan. You're saying that, with this stone, I could borrow the byakugan?"

He continued grinning. "With a heart, you could summon Neji Hyuuga's person. But even Heartless can summon allies. And you?"

The girl blinked, mulling over what he was saying. Had she a heart, she could bring the boy forth. She could try using the Summoning Jutsu, but she was not sure of the success due it being a gem. She did not wish to even begin wondering about using darkness, and that would surely tip others off about her condition. . . .

Looking once again at the gem, she formed the same hand seal she would use in preparation for walking on water or up a vertical surface. The Cheshire Cat watched in interest, leaning his chin onto his paw. Chakra was concentrated into the tips of her fingers as she touched the gem with her other hand.

Hikari's eyes closed as she felt a great pulsing through her body. Veins became evident around her eyes, wrinkling her face into what looked to be an intensely painful migraine. Her eyelids uncovered lavendar-white irises with very little evidence of a pupil.

"Byakugan. . . ." She had nearly a complete 360-degree vision, having the ability to see all Jiminy, Akamaru, and the Cheshire Cat, despite that they were on opposite sides of her. Behind her, long in the distance, she could see where they originally had come from, where the Queen of Hearts and the Card Soldiers were still under her genjutsu.

Then, she tried focusing ahead of herself, where sure enough, she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy; Kurenai's chakra network was visible, as well. They were still a ways ahead. She noted that, strangely, she did not see Alice or the boy anywhere, but there were plenty of Heartless here and there.

Closing her eyes, she tried to deactivate the byakugan, and the veins sank back into her skin. It was with such ease, she felt as if Neji's sureness with the eyes came into her through the gem, when she used it. She would test that theory more thoroughly, later, when she tried Hyuuga techniques she had viewed.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the Cheshire Cat was gone.

**End of Chapter Six**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Seven: Logic Means Nothing

"It never happened," finished Hikari. It was confirmed. There was a cessation, as she released her chin, brushing her knuckles against it in speculation. "Then I was right. But I think this 'Heartless' is still a part of her, and thinks it is working in her best interest. She feels pressured by her parents; the Heartless kills them with genjutsu. Since you 'sealed her ability,' she feels betrayed by you, since she'd think you don't want her to do well. Guess what's on its agenda, now."

Goofy raised a brow. "Are you sayin'. . . ."

". . . that Yakumo's Heartless wants to hurt Kurenai?" Sora finished.

Kurenai's two-toned crimson eyes met Hikari's serpentine yellow. "I agree."

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**Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review; special thanks to Sweet Nightmare's Goodbyes for reviewing and to my beta reader, Ace, for helping me discern this chapter's awesomeness and in coming up with the title XD "Riddled in Stench!" God bless!**


	7. Logic Means Nothing

**Aki's Notes**: Heya, readers! I'm sooooo so so so sorry that this update has been postponed so long! Enough that I'm actually posting this before the next chapter, the reserve chapter, is complete (a rarity, mind!) I was having a great deal of trouble with my other currently-running story .:Violets are Blue:., which caused for some—well—self-esteem issues and stress, on my part, and ultimately slowed down the updating of not solely that story but this one as well. Also, I am still in school, and it's hard to compromise. Now, that aside, I would like to clear up a few points that appear to have confused some of you :D

I was hoping that I could clear this up within the story, but it appears that is not so. Hiki is the same age as Naruto, Sasuke, and the other rookies; fifteen, as they are in Shippuuden. The day in which their world, the Land of Shurikon and Kunai was destroyed, occurred AFTER the Chuunin Exams, and AFTER Tsunade became Hokage, but BEFORE Sasuke would've left Konoha. I've taken a few liberties with the Naruto Time Line, as far as the series goes, after that time due to the circumstances. If you're still confused, then review or message, and I will try to explain it better.

Now, it's been brought to my attention in the previous chapter that when Riku spoke Hiki's name, some thought it was a mistake; au contraire, it was indeed on purpose. This will make sense as the plot goes on (and trust me I am working on it as best I can) but it may be confusing to you now; I honestly don't know how to explain it else wise, though: Riku knows a Hiki, but he doesn't know that the Hiki he saw is Hiki. How Riku knows that Hiki will come into light later on, but I will be dropping clues here and there along the way.

By the way, for those of you that thought "Hiki" was supposed to be pronounced "Hee-kee," it actually is meant to be pronounced like "hickie" :D That is why "people think it's funny." The spelling is the way it is simply because of the spelling of "Hikari." Get it? Got it? Good :D That's all I have to say, please read on! Thanks for reading, and God bless!

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Recappy from the Last Chappy: Then, she tried focusing ahead of herself, where sure enough, she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy; Kurenai's chakra network was visible, as well. They were still a ways ahead. She noted that, strangely, she did not see Alice or the boy anywhere, but there were plenty of Heartless here and there.

Closing her eyes, she tried to deactivate the byakugan, and the veins sank back into her skin. It was with such ease, she felt as if Neji's sureness with the eyes came into her through the gem, when she used it. She would test that theory more thoroughly, later, when she tried Hyuuga techniques she had viewed.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the Cheshire Cat was gone.

**Chapter Seven: Logic Means Nothing**

Kurenai, Sora, Donald, and Goofy exited from the Lotus Forest into a garden set up for a tea party. A long table was in the center, covered by a pink table cloth. Pots, dishes, cups, saucers, and other dishware were set on top of the cloth, in front of many chairs of different shapes, sizes, and compositions. Paintings were in each seat.

All of the images were either destructive or disturbing. At the head of the table was the mildest of them, including two figures crying hysterically. One of them was a brown hare in a red jacket, and his mussed demeanor seemed close to lunacy. His companion was a small man, exceeding that, with a large nose, oversized green hat, and mustard suit; frizzed white hair frilled from beneath his hat.

The chair closest to them was the one with the Queen of Hearts losing her heart to the Trickmaster. Another one included Kurenai losing her heart. Some included decapitations. The one that drew their attention the most, withal, was one in which the Trickmaster was parading around a scene similar to the Tea Party Garden in which they stood.

Hedges surrounded the area, with the exception of the little white wooden gate they had entered through and a cottage on the left. It had a straw roof, and was made of lopsided grey brick, but still seemed stable.

Kurenai pointed at it. "That's Yakumo's cottage," she said, seemingly undaunted by the painting. Yet, on the inside, the rate of her heart quickened, as if reassuring her that it was present. "She should be in the—"

The painting at the head of the table, with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, fell forward revealing Yakumo's profile. Her face was buried in her knees as she sobbed, and in front of her were two Card Soldiers with bloodshot eyes and drool dripping from their mouths; they were under the influence of genjutsu.

Quickly, Kurenai ran parallel with the table, toward Yakumo, and turned the corner. At Yakumo's side, she dropped to her knees and the young teen threw herself at her. Kurenai embraced her comfortingly.

"Kurenai-sensei. . . ."

"Everything's alright, Yakumo," Kurenai said with a relieved smile. "I will definitely protect you."

Sora watched this exchange with a mild feeling of envy, but at the same time, had to smile. To be reunited with someone you care about . . . to embrace her and know that she was alright. . . . He was reminded of the girl he was looking for, a girl from Destiny Islands.

He also understood the truth as to why Kurenai had volunteered herself; knowing that Yakumo had witnessed a Heartless attack, she had wanted to check on Yakumo's well-being. Although from the look of the Card Soldiers, he assumed she could take care of herself.

"What do you think happened to them?" asked Donald.

"I don't know . . . ," Sora responded, "but I think she's from Hiki's world, and if she is, then. . . ." He trailed off and looked at the Card Soldier's terror-filled visages, as if they were in shock. "It was probably scary."

The boys began looking around the Tea Party Garden, viewing some of the paintings. All of them were well done, mostly related to Wonderland; that is what it seemed, at least. In a few, people had been beheaded by the Queen. Many included Heartless. One included a carnivorous plant.

One that caught Goofy's attention, though, was not any of the afore-mentioned. He stopped at one pertaining to their current location; eerily, it was almost of the exact scene. Sora, Donald, Kurenai, Yakumo, and he were in the location, doing very similarly to what they were currently.

Goofy tilted his head, like he was in the painting, and then realized the difference. Near the top of the painting was a dark hole, and just under it, Hikari and Akamaru appeared to be falling. "Hmm?"

A howling accompanied with a scream came from above, capturing everyone's attention. A large hole was in the ceiling, through which Hikari—too calm for someone abruptly falling—and Akamaru (with Jiminy) were descending. Akamaru and Jiminy were both screaming. Hikari crashed onto the table with her rump, Akamaru following not long after; Jiminy tumbled from his back.

All of the tableware jumped up and then fell back down into their exact positions from before. Hikari appeared to be solely in a minute surprise whilst Akamaru's eyes were as wide as the saucer which he sat on.

Sora recovered from his own shock and grinned. "Hiki! You escaped?"

She moved her gaze from above her to him, seeming to realize his presence just then. She wore a calculating expression, speculating as she eyed the area. "Houdini was a ninja, too."

He grinned. Next to him, Donald was looking around, an inquiring and concerned expression marking his countenance. Then, he looked at Hikari. "Where's that girl?"

Hikari closed her mouth. "Alice. . . ."

"You didn't leave her behind, did you?" he inquired incredulously.

She stood on the table and walked on top of it, careful not to step on any of the dishes and silverware; surprisingly, none of the items were broken, with the exception of a few teacups cut impossibly clean in half, vertically, and were full of tea; it was like a literal interpretation of a "half-cup of tea," however in such a way that defied logic.

Hikari frowned; it was apparent that logic meant nothing, here. After all, she had been trekking through the Lotus Forest one moment, and then literally in the blink of an eye, she, Akamaru, and Jiminy were quickly descending toward the Tea Party Garden.

Remembering that Donald had asked her something, and hearing his impatient exclamation, she stopped and looked at him. "I didn't. She would've lost her head, later." She jabbed a thumb in Jiminy's direction, as he examined the half-cup of tea in thought, and shrugged a shoulder. "It seems I have a conscience, now."

"Well . . . where is she?" Sora asked.

She scratched the back of her head. "About that . . . this cat taking way too many happy pills said that she was . . . 'gone with the shadows, in the darkness.' I think that means she was taken by the Heartless." Hopping off of the table, she said, "By the way, you dropped this."

"Huh?"

He held out an open palm as she offered her hand, and the Brave Warrior accessory was dropped on top of his glove. He grinned sheepishly and slipped it onto his wrist.

"So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't have a reason to stay in Wonderland. I haven't seen who I'm looking for, you obviously haven't found yours. We don't need to prove mine or Alice's innocence anymore and she's most likely no longer on this world, so searching for her here would be pointless."

As Hikari spoke, an evil smile became evident across Yakumo's features, but no one took notice. Behind Kurenai, a Creeper Plant arose from the grass, taking shape into a flower. Its petals were yellow and orange around a dark face with glowing yellow eyes. The rest of its body consisted of its green stem, for it was rooted into the ground.

Hikari, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were discussing what to do next, so the Creeper Plant's presence remained unnoticed by them. Kurenai's cognizance was not drawn, either, but she changed the direction of her gaze from them to Yakumo, and reacted to her grin of malice.

In that moment, before Kurenai could say or do anything, one of the roots of the Creeper Plant sprouted from the earth and stabbed through Kurenai's shoulder. The woman winced and bit back a cry, thrusting Yakumo from her.

Everyone looked their way, just in time to see three large seeds the size of baseballs head in their direction. Hikari was hit hard in the chest while Sora and Donald were able to dodge; Goofy blocked the seed with his shield. The girl winced and took out a kunai when vines appeared from beneath.

They were not the same as what pierced through Kurenai, as instead of stabbing through them, the mass of tangling vines rose, tipped the table over, and tied around the limbs of the group; so they tried.

As soon as Hikari noticed a vine growing by her ankle, she rebounded from it. Donald's ankle was caught, so he tried casting a spell of fire as the vine constricted, but no magic came forth. Squawking angrily, he tried again, but in his distraction, one of his arms was caught, and he was raised above.

Sora's torso, arm, and legs were all constricted, except for his right arm wielding the Keyblade. He wacked the Key against all of the leafy ropes holding him as they raised him up, yet they were unaffected.

The vines held Goofy upside down by his ankles and armpits, momentarily leaving him free to swing his shield arm around uselessly. They then moved along his arms and legs, further binding him. Another vine also smacked his hindquarters like a whip due to his struggles.

Lastly, Hikari was bound by a vine that looped around her waist a couple times before spreading to her legs like a harness. While she was raised, more vines roped her arms. She remained calm, simply scowling, but struggled to set herself free. It seemed impossible to take the kunai she had drawn to cut the vines.

Level with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, she saw that they were struggling still with no avail, and that the knight had remained upside down. In front of Hikari, a peapod formed on the end of a vine and split open. Kurenai and Yakumo had disappeared from sight.

A creature like a Shadow appeared from inside the pod, as a form completely black but for the characteristic glowing yellow eyes. As the shadow emerged, one could see that the body structure was similar to a frail teenage girl; like Yakumo's hair, the hair of the shadow appeared to have a braid on the left side of its face and the rest hung loosely down to the base of the spine.

In the shadow's hand was a metal painting tool that came to a point. Once it depressed from the handle, a triangular protrusion would flatly lie against the painting and spread a coat of color widely. For this shadow, it was a weapon.

Hikari silently looked the shadow in the eye and stopped struggling. To herself, she muttered, "You're not a real Heartless. . . ."

The shadow was unfazed as it moved to stab Hikari.

She displayed an odd—or not so odd—lack of emotion as the tool moved toward her, but lowered her gaze as pink petals peeled from her body. Her head tilted curiously as her entire body took on the appearance of a cherry blossom tree's canopy before dissolving completely. The tool stabbed a vine instead.

Behind the shadow, the bud of a pink pea flower of substantial size was manifesting. The flower blossomed partly, allowing for Kurenai to emerge with the wound from the Creeper Plant's root bleeding consistently; it did not diminish her performance currently. Her expression was somber as her own arms became vines that wrapped around the shadow's neck.

The shadow's head was forced back as the thick stalks constricted tightly around its throat, and it dropped its weapon when bringing its hands up. Its hands feebly tugged, trying to free itself, but it was of no use. As it struggled, it was lifted further from the peapod.

In the meantime, the peapods that had been forming in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, froze.

Its hand's grip on the stalk lessened, and the arms soon fell to hang limply at its sides. Then, the neck extended a smidgen so the face was angled toward Kurenai. A wide, eerie smile was formed from an abrupt slit. A chilling laugh escaped from the shadow. _**"Ku ku ku . . . Kurenai-sensei. . . . Ku ku ku ku ku!"**_

The special jonin's eyes widened considerably.

Abruptly, the vines and the shadow faded away; simply, neither with dark wisps nor with a sparkled cloud. They disappeared completely, as did Kurenai's arms return to normal, and they all fell a few feet.

The next thing Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kurenai knew they were opening their eyes to the view of the sky while lying on the floor of the Tea Party Garden. The table was upright; it was the scene directly from before the vines had presented themselves. Sora sat up and looked in the corner where the Creeper Plant was.

Hikari stood in front of it coolly, a hand on her hip and the other outstretched, holding a kunai that stabbed through the Heartless's face. Instead of disappearing like a Heartless normally did, releasing a captive heart before vanishing in darkness, it leaked a dark steam that rose before fading away.

"So then that wasn't a real Heartless, either . . . ," she muttered, confusing Sora. While everyone was sitting up, she made a hand sign and touched the gemstone on her bracelet, activating the byakugan like she had done in the presence of the Cheshire Cat. Even in her vision, Yakumo was nowhere in sight.

"Gee, you think she ran away when the vines were comin' out o' the ground?" Goofy wondered.

Hikari shook her head while looking around. "No . . . she hasn't been here this whole time. We're in one gigantic genjutsu—," she closed her eyes and deactivated the byakugan, "—cast by Yakumo. Kurenai saved me from the brunt of it just now, but . . . I didn't see anyone within miles of here, so we still might be in one. . . ." Turning her head toward the woman, she asked, "I'm right, aren't I, Kurenai? Yakumo's behind this; she's after us."

Kurenai grit her teeth, fists clenched and trembling as she stood. She ceased abruptly and calmly responded, "You're wrong."

"And you're pants are on fire," she responded patiently, crossing her arms. "The heart is not shaken by lies." Then, another thought occurred to her. "Or is she a puppet?"

The palpitations commenced once again, and her stare was hard. "It's not like normal genjutsu, where you can simply disrupt someone's flow of chakra or do it yourself to stop the illusion. She has complete control over your senses, she directly tricks your brain into believing that something is taking place; to foil it, you would have to cut off all of your senses. And because she tricks the brain, your body will inflict real injury; touch fire, you'll burn. Stricken by lightning, you'll die. Stabbed through by a root . . . the wound will become real." She looked down. "That is the Kekkai Genkai of the Kurama Clan."

Sora whispered to Donald and Goofy, "Are you guys getting this at all?"

They shook their heads and the duck replied, "Nuh-uh."

"The Kurama Clan?" inquired Hikari. "I remember hearing about them. . . . Their clan house suddenly burned down awhile before the apocalypse, and the leader of the clan, along with his wife, perished; it's strange 'cause they were both jonin. . . . They had an advanced bloodline?"

Suspiciously, she said, "You know a lot. More than you should. . . ." Hikari shrugged. "Well, the clan used to be in par with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga . . . but the Kekkai Genkai would skip generations, and when it was inherited, the clan member was often very weak—too weak to become a ninja.

"Yakumo . . . she was one such clan member. She couldn't enter the Academy because she was too frail for taijustu and ninjutsu, but was determined to become a ninja still, using genjutsu alone. Her clan had fallen from grace, and as a user of the Kekkai Genkai, she was their sole hope. I, being a genjutsu specialist, was enlisted to train her, by request of her parents."

"I understand," Hikari said. "I can imagine that would put a lot of pressure on a young girl, especially with a weak body. To her, you were a beacon of hope that would help meet her clan's expectations. . . . But she wasn't donned in ninja gear. You gave up on her, didn't you?"

Kurenai lifted her head, narrowing her eyes sadly. "Actually, by order of the Third Hokage . . . I sealed away her ability."

"Sealed it?" asked the girl. Arms still crossed, she held her chin thoughtfully.

_I'm so confused, _Sora thought, scratching his head.

The woman nodded. "One day, I took a look inside of Yakumo's heart and subconscious. The darkness in her heart made by the pressure to do well for her clan manifested into a monster that was eating away at her subconscious. The truth is . . . the fire that killed Yakumo's parents was not an ordinary one. An ordinary fire would not take the lives of two jonin so easily. In reality . . . it was an illusion created by Yakumo's darkness."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy's eyes widened, and they tensed. "Yakumo killed her own parents?!" Donald exclaimed with a dropped jaw.

"Yakumo's darkness," Kurenai corrected. "It had become more into something like a Heartless, taking over her subconscious, and made her do things she did not want; she doesn't remember doing them, actually. The Third Hokage wanted to find a way to kill the 'Heartless,' but. . . ."

"It never happened," finished Hikari. It was confirmed. There was a cessation, as she released her chin, brushing her knuckles against it in speculation. "Then I was right. But I think this 'Heartless' is still a part of her, and thinks it is working in her best interest. She feels pressured by her parents; the Heartless kills them with genjutsu. Since you 'sealed her ability,' she feels betrayed by you, since she'd think you don't want her to do well. Guess what's on its agenda, now."

Goofy raised a brow. "Are you sayin'. . . ."

". . . that Yakumo's Heartless wants to hurt Kurenai?" Sora finished.

Kurenai's two-toned crimson eyes met Hikari's serpentine yellow. "I agree."

Elsewhere, inside a spacious room with pink and magenta-checkered tile, Yakumo was painting crossly. She was set up on a large, circular white surface that was actually a table, and a chair whose back was shaped like a rabbit's head was pulled up to it.

In proportion with the Bizarre Room, she was a mouse. Behind her, a giant canvas contained a rocky tunnel. On the painting before her, she was adding fire to the juggling sticks of the Trickmaster.

Back in the Tea Party Garden, Hikari finished bandaging Kurenai's wound. The bleeding had slowed down considerably, but not completely, so she wrapped it extra tightly to apply pressure. It was a nasty wound that had pierced through her shoulder, but luckily, missed anything vital; she had, however, lost a substantial amount of blood, and as Hikari was working, she had been seated at the table.

When finished, Hikari hopped onto the edge of the table, sitting. "Her ability didn't seal like it was supposed to, so it's obvious sealing it again wouldn't work." _The one on my brother was stronger, but not perfect, either._ "Is there anything else we ca—"

"Are you looking for a way to destroy Yakumo's darkness?" called a voice.

Cognizance was drawn toward the entrance to the Tea Party Garden. The little white wooden gate had been replaced by a large tree, blocking any means of leaving. A large slab stood against the trunk flatly. On a branch of the tree, the Cheshire Cat hung upside down by his tail, like a possum.

"Yes, you nosy feline," Hikari responded, looking over her shoulder. "Are you going to tell us how? Refrain from riddles."

"One person's darkness cannot be destroyed by someone else," answered the cat. "She has to overcome that darkness, herself. But to do that. . . ." His body suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared on the table. He touched a small lamp in the center that lit. "She needs her light."

"Her light?" inquired Sora as the cat teleported back to the branch. Now, he lay on top of the branch, leaning on his paw.

"Did you know that when you turn on a light, a shadow is made?" The Cheshire Cat only grinned as something humongous fell from above, crashing into and destroying the table so that it split down the middle. Hikari was forced to roll down the slant of the broken table and looked up; the Trickmaster from Yakumo's painting was present, his juggling sticks alight with fire. "Are you prepared for the worst? If not . . . that's too bad!"

Sitting up, she barely dodged as one of its feet stomped where she previously lay. Before it could try stepping on her again, she stood and went to Kurenai, who had stood from her seat and drawn a kunai. Her slumped posture made it evident that she was not fit for battle.

"Don't reopen your wound, I have a limited supply of those bandages," scolded Hikari. "We have to get you out of here; you'll be in the way." She took Kurenai's kunai and slung her arm over her shoulder. "But where. . . ."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were standing a few feet in front of them, holding their weapons in a ready position. They were dwarfed immensely by the Trickmaster's monstrous size, coming perhaps to the double-jointed knees.

"You tricked us!" Donald yelled.

"Tricked you?" replied the cat. "Nothing of the sort! The Cheshire Cat is always here to help the weak."

Hikari watched them stoically, left hand on Kurenai's hip as her right both kept the woman's arm around her shoulder and held the kunai. The Trickmaster was brandishing his juggling sticks skillfully, twirling them, and was soon releasing small fire projectiles.

Before long, Hikari's eyes were narrowing the slightest as all three of the boys were scurrying about with their pants on fire. She regarded the cat. "As entertaining as this might be to you, I think they look pitiful enough. And while you're at it, open this doorway."

"You're a demanding one," he replied, bringing up his paw. Appearing to point at Sora, he said, "Alright, now . . . you'll never make it like that. I'll give you something you're missing."

Sora stopped running as frost simultaneously accumulated at the tip of his Keyblade and doused the flame burning his shorts. "Oh?" He looked at it in curiosity, but was shaken from his thoughts as he noticed Donald's screaming.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"Donald!" The frost came that had accumulated became a projectile of ice that shot from the tip of the Keyblade toward the burning feathers of Donald's rear end. Blizzard doused the flame, the absence of feathers revealing pink flesh and ultimately washing away what remained of the duck's dignity. Sora looked at the tip of the blade again, perplexed.

Behind Kurenai and Hikari, the stone slab fell down like a draw bridge, revealing the maze of hedges. They turned toward it, and looked at the Cheshire Cat. "Follow the White Rabbit. Yakumo needs her light."

"But what is her light?" Kurenai asked.

The Cheshire Cat rolled so that his back bent over the branch, folding his arms behind his head. "Exactly what her darkness is trying to get rid of."

She closed her mouth, understanding as a new determination filled her eyes. Hikari began helping her over the stone slab, through the tree's threshold.

The yellow-eyed teen looked over her shoulder and solemnly said, "I'm not sure if I trust you, Cheshire Cat. . . ."

His grin was the last she saw from the scene, as the stone was lifted back into place.

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The female ninja trekked through the maze silently, keeping an eye out for the White Rabbit that the Cheshire Cat had spoken of. Akamaru padded at Hikari's side, having followed them, with Jiminy still on his back.

Suddenly, turning into their path, was the said rabbit. He was white as snow, with red eyes and pink sclera; small round eyeglasses were on his pink nose. Dressed in grey pants, a yellow button-up with a high collar beneath his red jacket, and carrying an umbrella, he appeared to be in quite a hurry.

"I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!" He yelled. "I'm here, I should be there! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late!"

Hikari did not seem concerned about his pace, as she hastened only a little. He was on his hind legs, while his kind was generally supposed to run on all fours, so he was actually of a speed manageable for her and Kurenai to follow; at least, he remained in sight.

**End of Chapter Seven**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Eight: Sullied by Secrets

Yakumo frowned. "This world is unstable, led by a queen too unaware of her darkness to lead rightfully. When she discovers I tried to take her heart, she will be upset, don't you think? I'm hastening the inevitable." Her face continued to face forward, but she glanced from the corner of her eye. They were a different color now; changed from a yellowish hazel, they seemed to be a yellow almost as bright as Hikari's. "But I have business with you, first."

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**Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review :D!**


	8. Sullied by Secrets

Disclaimer (Oh my Riku I remembered!): I don't own Naruto and Kingdom Hearts.

And now for some reason it doesn't want to center correctly -_- How nice.

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Recappy from the Last Chappy: Suddenly, turning into their path, was the said rabbit. He was white as snow, with red eyes and pink sclera; small round eyeglasses were on his pink nose. Dressed in grey pants, a yellow button-up with a high collar beneath his red jacket, and carrying an umbrella, he appeared to be in quite a hurry.

"I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!" He yelled. "I'm here, I should be there! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late!"

Hikari did not seem concerned about his pace, as she hastened only a little. He was on his hind legs, while his kind was generally supposed to run on all fours, so he was actually of a speed manageable for her and Kurenai to follow; at least, he remained in sight.

**Chapter Eight: Sullied by Secrets**

The White Rabbit crossed through what appeared to be a painting, though it was large enough to be a wide door. It was a parallelogram, as wide as it was short, with a rather ornate blue frame surrounding it. Within the painting, Yakumo's back was turned toward the viewer as she painted more. The White Rabbit seemed to disappear.

Hikari and Kurenai stopped within a few feet of the portal, looking into the other side. The image was still, with Yakumo appearing on a circular white surface. The space around that surface looked as if it were space itself; the universe with its stars and vast blackness. Akamaru cautiously sniffed the portal.

Kurenai frowned with resolve and lifted the younger kunoichi's arm from her, taking a few steps forward. She seemed fine enough, currently, to walk on her own a little. Realizing this, she told Hikari, "You should turn back. She wants me, not you."

Hikari opened her mouth. "Normally, I wouldn't care. But . . . you aren't the only one she's attacking. You aren't fit to fight, if it comes to that." She raised her chin a little. "And you can't just let her darkness take you, either. If you, her light, is gone then so is her hopes and possibly her desire to come from the darkness."

The genjutsu specialist clicked her tongue, glancing out of the corner of her eye. "Fine."

Hikari nodded. "Let's go, then. I don't think there's any way to prepare for this Lion's Den, really." Both she and Kurenai then proceeded through the painting; Akamaru was a step behind them.

On the other side, they found themselves standing on the frame of a portal lying on a gigantic circular white table. Yakumo was only a few feet away, but did not seem to react immediately. A slew of paintings were suspended in the space around her full of disturbing images, much like the ones that had sat in the chairs of the Tea Party Garden.

They took a few steps forward, walking off of the painting portal, and it melted away into the table. Yakumo continued to paint, almost as if she did not realize their presence. Tables on either side of her had been there to hold her supplies; however they too were suspended above.

Kurenai took her eyes from where the exit had disappeared and looked at her former student. She placed a hand over her twisting heart, and closed it to a fist. "Yakumo. . . ."

There was a long silence as the brunette paid meticulous attention to the painting before her. It was a panoramic picture of Kurenai with a seemingly shocked expression on her visage. Hikari looked at her now; her current expression was a hard, stoic stare.

"Kurenai-sensei," Yakumo said in a nearly unsullied tone; but one could not mistake the underlying darkness. "What do you think of my paintings? Wonderful, aren't they?"

The woman ignored the inquiry, providing one of her own. "What are you doing to everyone?"

Yakumo frowned. "This world is unstable, led by a queen too unaware of her darkness to lead rightfully. When she discovers I tried to take her heart, she will be upset, don't you think? I'm hastening the inevitable." She continued to face forward, but glanced from the corner of her eye. They were a different color now; changed from a yellowish hazel, they seemed to be a yellow almost as bright as Hikari's. "But I have business with you, first."

"What are you saying?" she inquired in disbelief; though she understood fully well.

Hikari leaned in toward Kurenai and speculated quietly, "I . . . think she wants to plunge this world into darkness; maybe that Heartless has more influence than we thought. It's going to get rid of you, her light; if you're gone, then she'll have no hopes, or possibly even reasons for resisting , and then it's going after the heart of this world."

Yakumo's eyes narrowed, "—You keep your mouth shut!—," and she beckoned one of the suspended paintings to her side; it appeared to be of Hikari. She wet her paintbrush and dabbed it into the white paint, adding a smidgen of skin tone to it before painting over Hikari's mouth.

On the true Hikari, her mouth was suddenly covered by a large piece of tape the same color as what Yakumo had made. In response, she lowered her eyes and raised her hand, feeling over the cusps with which she could speak and felt something very similar to duct tape. She took both hands and tugged at the tape on the side, but to no avail. Kurenai clicked her tongue beside her; since it was so close to skin tone, it was probable that Yakumo had actually wanted to erase Hikari's mouth, but she had not gotten the right color of paint.

Yakumo set aside the paint brush and picked up the same sharp painting tool that had been used by the shadow-girl that had attacked Hikari from the peapod, and rubbed the back in the black paint, picking up a generous amount. Then, she took the tool and smeared the paint across the feet and shins of the Kurenai in the painting. The paint glowed white, and the corresponding parts of the true Kurenai disappeared.

Kurenai gasped, staring at the missing limbs in awe.

"How is it? It's great, isn't it? Right now, I could kill you or let you live as I choose . . . ," remarked Yakumo with a stygian smile. She then glared at her former teacher over her shoulder, serpentine yellow eyes losing their pupils and becoming more manifest in glowing. "Why did you give up on me Sensei? Why did you seal my ability?"

Closing her mouth, she swallowed, and somberly said, "I was protecting you. At least . . . I had hoped sealing it would."

"_Why are you lying?"_ She turned her back to Kurenai and frowned further, covering more of her legs in the painting. All that remained of her was from the thigh, above. "Please, tell me the truth." She glanced. "If you don't, Kurenai-sensei, _you will die._"

The woman's two-toned crimson eyes began to shimmer. "What a pitiful child." Tears began to form in their ducts. "If my death can end your suffering, than just do it! Do it, if your hate and suffering will die with me." Water leaked from her eyes, washing over a trembling visage.

Hikari shoved her, scowling silently with the tape still over her mouth. Telepathically, she was trying to remind her what had been said just before entering the painting. _You can't just let her darkness take you. If you, her light, is gone then so is her hopes and possibly her desire to come from the darkness._

Yakumo turned a little; a sliver of a pupil seemed to have returned to her eyes. "Why are you crying? I'm not going to be duped by your crocodile tears!" She took up some more paint and held it in front of the canvas, but hesitated. That woman believed her a fool! To think that she could play on her heartstrings like that, strum some sympathy to save her? Cross, she wiped away Kurenai's waist.

At Hikari's side, Akamaru growled and began to run toward the troubled teen; almost immediately, he was muzzled and leashed. A phantom hand held the other end, keeping him at bay; despite that, he fought against the hindrance.

Hikari's eyes narrowed as she took both hands to the right side of the tape and she pulled as strongly as she could. Yanking, she tore it from her face like a Band-Aid, taking along with it some of her skin. She dithered, squeezing her eyes shut. There were small and interspersed wounds surrounding her mouth, bleeding rather lightly.

"Listen . . . it wasn't out of selfishness that she sealed your ability. She wanted you to think that so you wouldn't suffer as much," she said, hovering her fingertips over the wounds. "She hid the truth from you so you wouldn't know what's inside you—the darkness that now is trying to possess you—"

Kurenai shook her head. "Stop it!"

She opened an eye and, tentatively, touched the wounds, quickly dithering away. Her other eye opened as she lifted her gaze from the floor to Yakumo, glowing yellow meeting glowing yellow; Yakumo's pupil was dilating, becoming more evident. "The same darkness . . . that killed your parents."

Yakumo gasped and her eyes widened; the hazel color returned a smidgen to her irises. "My . . . parents . . . ?" Her body began to palpitate, as well as her heart; a truth was trying to liberate itself within her memory. She dropped her tool and held the sides of her head with both hands. "What . . . what do you mean . . . 'killed my parents' . . . ?"

Kurenai bit her lip. "This is bad. . . . Yakumo, you don't know!" She shook her head vigorously. "You don't know a thing!"

A canvas suffocated in an overabundance of black paint fell from its suspension and landed next to Yakumo's easel in her line of sight. The paint's viscosity kept it from melting quickly, but it trickled down the canvas nevertheless.

"Something . . . there's something in the depths of my heart," Yakumo muttered, closing her eyes. Her elbows lowered as if she was going to roll into a ball, but her hands still hung on. "But what? I can't remember. . . ."

The genjutsu specialist gritted her teeth. "This is really bad. Hikari, stop that thing!"

But the teen disobeyed, remaining where she stood. She stared at Yakumo and the unveiling painting, hands casually hanging at her sides. It appeared as if she had not heard Kurenai at all. She wore such an intense expression; one would think that she was mesmerized by the black canvas. Then, she said, "You have to draw out the darkness . . . before you can subdue it."

"No . . . !"

The last of the black paint finally touched the floor, drawing Yakumo's attention to the painting. She breathed in, opening her eyes widely, and brought her hands down. Sweat began to trickle down her temples, and the trembling turned more violent than before—everything about _that fiery night_ came back to her as she closed her eyes and remembered.

She had been crying. The tears trailed down her cheeks as she buried her face in her knees and she sobbed, admitting around a tight lump in her throat her failures to her parents, to the Kurama clan. Caring and kind as her parents were, they tried to convince her there was another path for her, and that the shinobi way was just not hers—but she would not listen, she would not have it.

Then, something had snapped within her heart.

Darkness had seeped from the pores of her skin, enveloping her being in its pungent stench and blackness. Heartless in red cloaks—referred to as Red Nocturnes—suddenly appeared beside her as the last she saw before black. The next thing she remembered was standing in front of her home, normal, gazing in horror as it was consumed by flame.

Yakumo opened her eyes, shaking still. Staring hard, she brought one hand up and closed it to a fist. She spoke with a tight voice, "I remember now. I . . . the darkness within myself killed Mom and Dad. . . ." Her hand was brought down and she closed her eyes, yelling, "I ended their lives with genjutsu!"

Kurenai broke into a sweat and shouted in desperation, "No, Yakumo! That wasn't you!" She shook her head. "That monster's different from you!"

"No . . . it's not." Yakumo's arm fell to her side. "The darkness lives in the depths of my heart," she breathed, "a part of me." She picked up the tool she had dropped onto the floor. "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." She held it in both hands and poised it so the pointed end was toward her stomach.

Hikari bowed her head, but still kept her eyes on the girl. "Yakumo—," she began to run toward her, "—don't do it. There's a way to overcome your darkness—"

"Goodbye. . . ."

"_Yakumo!!"_

She paid no heed to the voices telling her to cease and closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. She raised the tool just a little higher, ready to cut the vulnerably placed ties of apprehension and contrition within her stomach. With a deep breath, she pulled her hands in, drawing the tool almost where it would mortally wound; two hands reached to catch her arms just before the tip would pierce.

She opened her eyes and gasped, becoming rigid. One of the hands forestalling her actions belonged to Hikari, whose eyes sustained their scowling stare, but did not regard the brunette. Instead, she was looking at the other hindrance; a hand reaching out of a painting of Yakumo, suspended just next to her.

Yakumo dropped the tool.

"Why?" asked the brush-stroked girl. Everything about her was still with the exception of her lips. She was shown in partition, not fully facing the viewer and manifested only her bust. Her voice, though, was very deep and monstrous, yet not gravelly. "Why would you take your own life? The ones who forced you to carry an enormous weight and then betrayed you are the ones that should be destroyed."

"You're. . . ."

Hikari watched the painting warily.

"I entered you through a gap deep inside your heart where I then continued to grow. My name is Idou." Idou withdrew his hand back into the painting as a sinister black aura rose from it like the smoke of a flame. The pleasantly smiling "Yakumo" suddenly changed, becoming darker as she closed her eyes. Everything—face, arms, hair, clothes—turned completely black.

Two orbs of a glowing yellow were unveiled where the eyes should have been.

Hikari took a step back, pulling Yakumo with her as Idou's head and shoulders sprouted from the painting. The brunette stumbled out of her stool, still in shock, staring him in those eyes. Her own were hazel once again.

Seeing that she would not convince Yakumo to move, Hikari dug into her kunai pouch with her left hand and procured a knife, holding it ready to defend.

Idou's body then emerged enough to free its hands, allowing him to grab Yakumo's arm again. In a quicker fashion than Hikari would have anticipated, he next threw his arm and slugged her in her gut; as if she were no more than a feather, she was forced to release her grip and flew back, landing harshly on her side. Idou finished climbing out of the painting.

"It's finally awaked," Kurenai said solemnly.

Hikari grunted, pushing off of the ground. Any injury was minor or not evident, but she felt some pain from impact nonetheless. She stood, finding herself near Kurenai's suspended bust. "That's it, isn't it? The 'Heartless.' . . ." She noted that he had more of a likeness with the Heartless than she did; perhaps because she had kept her body, and he was comprised almost completely of darkness.

"Shortly after Yakumo began her genjutsu training with me . . . I developed doubts about her strong genjutsu abilities and took a look inside her heart. That's when I found him feeding on her heart, poisoning it, infecting it. Like a plague, it must have spread, controlling her subconscious, as well. That Heartless was the one that needed extinguishing, not Yakumo."

"So that's how it was. . . ." Hikari thought aloud. "Since it's in front of us now, it must be stronger than it used to be. Or maybe it can only show itself in genjutsu?"

"If it's left alone, then it will soon take her over completely. Yakumo will lose her heart, and this world will eventually fall to darkness." Kurenai frowned with resolve. "I have to stop that thing before any of that happens—even if I must die with it!"

_Die together? A strong determination, almost honorable,_ thought the dark-haired teen, scratching the back of her head. _But an odd thing to say, in her position._ "Good luck without a body."

Before Kurenai could respond, Idou turned toward them. Next to him, Yakumo was limp, but from all appearances, still conscious; her eyes remained wide open. The Heartless Idou crouched menacingly and called, "Feel the brunt of these feelings and let me get revenge!"

This time, Hikari was ready for the Heartless's brute strength. Idou leapt at her like an animal, pouncing, but was dodged; Hikari sank to one knee and concentrated chakra into her arm. As Idou was passing, she threw her arm, backhanding him. He fell to the floor, snarling, but recovered quickly.

Idou stood, facing her, and stepped back to evade Hikari's vertically sweeping kunai. He retaliated by swinging his arm again, scratching Hikari's arm; they were shallow wounds, as if they had come from a kittens claws, or were from a Shadow.

Kurenai clicked her tongue, watching as the two fought. Hikari dashed a few steps back, crouching to one knee. Kunai still in hand, she formed a seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Nothing happened. She stared at the seal. _I can't use techniques in a genjutsu?_

Grinning sadistically, Idou formed hand signs himself. He then lowered his hands to his sides and opened his mouth wide; sharp, small, and pointy teeth protruded from his gums. Seconds later, fire manifested just in front of his mouth and threw itself toward her in a long stream. It was hardly in time that Hikari reacted, bending backwards and sweeping her leg simultaneously so it would not bend at an awkward angle. The fire passed, inches above her.

With a frown Kurenai regarded the portion of her body no longer present. Jutsu-less, Hikari could only evade and defend for so long; they needed to defeat Idou before he enveloped Yakumo. She looked at the brunette, whom appeared to be in shock still.

"Yakumo!" she called; the girl flinched. "You're the only one that can defeat him!"

She gasped and looked at her former teacher, trembling in terror. Her mouth opened, but her jaw was taut—words were stuck in her voice box. However, her eyes expressed her conundrum and disbelief.

"Everyone has a beast with claws hidden within. That darkness remains hidden in the deep recesses of your heart until it suddenly comes into the forefront. That dark beast uses your powers to hurt others without your permission, sometimes even hurting the ones you care about."

Yakumo's brow wrinkled more.

"But, if you can tame that beast and control it with your own strength, then it will become a great power that will . . . help make your dreams come true." Yakumo closed her mouth and swallowed her anxiety, allowing it to settle in her gut. She met her former-teacher's eyes and unwrinkled her brow a smidgen in resolve. "Now, fight! Soothe the beast that manifested in your heart!"

Nerves taut, Yakumo looked around for the sharp painting tool. It lied on the floor to her right. She swallowed again, only now she complemented it with a valiant, more determined expression. She picked up the tool and formed a hand sign around it, closing her eyes.

"I want the darkness in my heart to be still!"

Idou swung his arm and knocked the kunai out of Hikari's hand, lessening her defense. Unveiling his sharp teeth once again, he raised his arm, and was about to strike, when he suddenly froze. "Huh? Wha—?"

Opening her eyes, Yakumo grunted and stood from her stool. She held the tool as if it were a kunai, like Kurenai had taught her years ago. She ran over to him, and stabbed him through his forehead.

The tool was allowed to remain protruding from the "Heartless's" brow as she stepped away from it, a tension alleviating from her shoulders. A dark energy emanated from the site of the wounding, again rising like the smoke of a fire. His body secreted that same energy, yellow leaving his distraught eyes, as he began to fade away.

A smile of relief crossed Yakumo's face as she watched her disappearing darkness and accompanied it with a sigh. It was as if she almost did not believe it. Her left hand rose to cover her heart, and she twisted to look at Kurenai, who was smiling back at her.

"Kurenai-sensei. . . ." Realizing that her teacher's body was still missing, she formed another hand sign. Blue kanji glowed in the air and swirled around Kurenai until her body reappeared. As soon as it did, and Kurenai's feet touched the table, Yakumo ran to her and hugged her.

"You did well, Yakumo. You defeated your own darkness." Kurenai returned the embrace, holding Yakumo much like a mother would her daughter. Yakumo's cheek rested against her collarbone as she glanced up at the two-toned crimson-eyed kunoichi with gently narrowed eyes, smiling.

"Sensei. . . ." She closed her eyes.

Hikari watched the scene play out before her, glancing around as the astronomical aspects of the room melted away. The painting that had displayed Kurenai losing her heart changed to mirror the embrace, at the same time as the Bizarre Room reverted to its normal state. All of the suspended paintings clanked to the ground, being replaced with lighter, more pure and genial images.

Akamaru wrinkled his nose as it was freed from the muzzle and sneezed, shaking his body out. He padded to Hikari's side and sat at her feet, smiling up at her with his tongue hanging out. She, however, had let her eyes fall on Kurenai and Yakumo again.

_Yakumo finally found her light. I wonder. . . ._ Lowering her gaze, she covered the site of her non-existent heart. _Will I ever find mine?_

**

* * *

**

Once the Trickmaster had been defeated—almost concurrent with Idou—Sora, Donald, and Goofy mysteriously appeared in the Bizarre Room before a tiny wooden door. The doorknob appeared to be snoring; at least, his keyhole seemed to exhale and inhale in the same way a slumbering human would.

Hikari spotted them from on top of the table out of the corner of her eye. She turned and walked to the edge, seeing that she, Kurenai, and Yakumo were quite high from the checkered tile. Upon further calculation, though, she deduced the distance would not harm them. Akamaru was picked up and they both jumped off of the edge.

When on the ground again, she set Akamaru on the ground, and they both jogged toward the trio. "Sora!"

The brunette half turned with Donald and Goofy and smiled, incidentally tipping the point of his Keyblade directly toward the Doorknob's keyhole. At the same time, it yawned hugely, drawing their attention. Within his mouth, the outline of a keyhole was inside.

By the time Hikari and Akamaru stopped next to them, stars accumulated at the tip of the Keyblade. It jerked forward, "—Whoa!—," almost falling from Sora's grip. A line of light drew from the tip of the Keyblade to within the Doorknob's mouth, to the outlined keyhole within. Something like a lock mechanism clicked, and the line disconnected; the Doorknob closed his mouth.

"What was that?" Donald asked.

Hikari approached the door, scrutinizing the keyhole as she held her chin. A door, and a Keyhole—something seemed awfully familiar about that, but she for some reason could not remember straight away. As she looked, Sora said, "You hear that? Sounded like something closed."

A Gummi piece dropped from the Doorknob's mouth, caught by Hikari. She held it up and looked closely. "Oh . . . it's a Navi-G—Navigation Gummi." Raising her gaze, she looked at them, holding up the Navi-G. "If we find another one of these, we'll have the coordinates and information for some new worlds. These ones come in pairs." She put it into her kunai pouch. "I'll hold onto it for now."

"Okay." Sora nodded.

"Let's go back to our Gummi Ship. We might find Alice on another world," Donald suggested. "But . . . where is our Gummi—?"

Light outlined a large square on the wall, becoming more elaborate as an ornate design framed the outside. It protruded, becoming blue, and the area within it appeared to be an image of their Gummi Ship on the mesa where they had left it.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy gazed in amazement, and then followed Hikari's gaze back toward the table. Kurenai and Yakumo stood on the edge, the latter smiling at them apologetically with her hands folded in front of her.

The boys smiled back, accepting the silent apology, and then stepped through the painting. Hikari lingered for a moment, lowering her gaze, and then followed, Akamaru at her heels.

**

* * *

**

A man with silver hair stepped through wide, tan-colored doors adorned with a lightning bolt design, walking down steps onto an area full of sand. Golden urns burned with fire on either side of him, placed periodically until they met the walls. A few openings in the brick showed clouds, suggesting the world was within the sky.

A black, hooded cloak kept him mostly shrouded, but the light glinted against his glasses and a metal plate bearing a musical eighth-note beneath his hood. He took a few steps forward, walking toward a building whose double doors were sided by large, heroic golden statues, and sneered.

**End of Chapter Eight**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Nine: The Hall of the Gods

"Whoa, hold on there, fuzzboy." The stygian entity straightened, unlacing his hands, and approached. He raised his hand as if signaling to halt and then touched his face, closing his eyes in feigned thought. "Wait, let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?"

They did not respond, watching as he walked toward Sora. Distrusting of this entity, Hikari stepped forward, over Akamaru, and procured a kunai. She stood between Sora and the blue fire-haired man, scowling into his eyes as he opened them. He frowned and lowered his hand. "Relax, my heartless, yellow-eyed friend . . . I only want to help the kid out."

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Thanks for reading, and God bless! Reviews have and always will be welcome :D


	9. The Hall of the Gods

Recappy From the Last Chappy: A man with silver hair stepped through wide, tan-colored doors adorned with a lightning bolt design, walking down steps onto an area full of sand. Golden urns burned with fire on either side of him, placed periodically until they met the walls. A few openings in the brick showed clouds, suggesting the world was within the sky.

A black, hooded cloak kept him mostly shrouded, but the light glinted against his glasses and a metal plate bearing a musical eighth-note beneath his hood. He took a few steps forward, walking toward a building whose double doors were sided by large, heroic golden statues, and sneered.

**Chapter Nine: The Hall of the Gods**

The cloaked man reached for something hidden by the concealing garment as he stood in front of a sign before one of the great golden statues. He procured a deck of cards whose backs were orange with a white circle in the center and the word "NINJA" adorning it. With hands covered in fingerless, purple gloves, he lifted the deck in front of him and looked through the blank faces.

He stopped at one around the middle of the deck and separated it, merging the two halves in his right hand. Holding the lone card in-between the middle and index finger of his left hand, he formed a sign around the card. The chakra inscribed within it manifested, creating an image of the world on which he stood. Information pertaining to the world—like its name, Olympus Coliseum, for instance—was also written below.

The door to the World Exit opened, but he paid no regard. Hikari, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were entering the world with Akamaru padding at her side. She was far ahead of them, having proceeded without waiting earlier on. They were jogging in order to catch up, Donald waddling in the rear—his face was bright red.

The duck raised his fist and yelled, "Hikari Uzumaki! Wait!!"

The man lifted his gaze from the card and twisted, watching as the girl stopped and turned, waiting for the boys. He noticed that while she lacked zori and a ninja headband, she had a shurikon holster and kunai pouch. She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels; he raised his brow, recognizing the stance.

Taking out his cards, he shuffled toward the end of the deck, and performed the same as with the Coliseum's card. An amused smirk crossed his face when she turned and he saw hers. _Little Hikari Uzumaki . . . looks almost like Lord Orochimaru, now. Her shell should be adequate._

Akamaru put his nose to the ground and began sniffing, drawing the man's attention. He was crawling away from Hikari, seeming to have homed in on an interesting scent in the man's direction—interesting, or perhaps even familiar. The man cautiously stepped back, sinking into the shadow of one of the golden gladiator statues. He raised his arm toward the corner and a dark corridor erupted into existence.

This seemed to whiff a particularly potent stench to the dog, for he lifted his head and watched as the man stepped through the corridor and disappeared with it. A low growl left his throat as he rushed over and barked into the corner, circling. It was almost as if he were chasing his tail, except that his snout was up.

Hikari stopped a few paces before the Coliseum's entrance, regarding the pup. She placed a hand on her hip and scolded, "Chill, there's nothing there." Then, she smelled the darkness and hesitated fleetingly, averting her eyes and narrowing them in calculation. She shrugged her shoulder. "If it was a Heartless, it disappeared already. Don't worry about it."

Her eyes fell on Akamaru, watching as he turned toward her and whined, flicking his snout back. She took her hand from her hip and pointed in front of her feet; reluctantly, he obeyed and approached. Contrary to her demand, she was not brushing off the event so frivolously. _That scent . . . it's from a heart not completely without light, but still reeks so much of darkness. . . . I wonder if that's how Naruto would smell. . . ._ Absently, she placed her hand on her chest. _Maybe . . . what if he is here?_

She knew the answer to that already. He had taken something from her; she wanted it back.

**

* * *

**

Entering the Coliseum, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Hikari, and Akamaru came to the Lobby; a small room colored of sand with brick for the wall and a mosaic-like tile for the floor. On either wall there was a place for plaques and trophies, but only an urn burning with fire was on the left. A roman column pedestal was on their left, against the wall, and on their right, a giant block pedestal.

The teal doors closed behind them and they walked further inside, spotting a half-man, half-goat-seeming creature shorter than even Donald. He stood on his hind legs atop a pedestal against the opposite wall. His back was to them as he read over a sign on the wall.

When they approached him, Sora raised his hand, as if to tap the red-furred goat man. "Um. . . ."

He did not turn. "Good timing. Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me." His arm, as it pointed, was flabby and had some red hair on it (the cover was not quite enough to be called "fur.") Business-like, he placed his hands on his hips. "I've gotta spruce this place up for the games!"

While Sora went to do as requested of him, Donald and Goofy following, Hikari remained where she stood, crossing her arms. Curiously, she tilted her head, roaming her eyes along the goat man's figure; she lingered at both his horns and tail.

Some animals on her world had the intelligence to speak. After meeting the residents of Disney Castle, she had come accustomed to seeing them stand on their hind legs, as well. Never before had she met a hybrid, or crossbreed, though. _What is he . . . ?_

Sora returned with a bead of sweat on his forehead. The pedestal remained in place. "It's way too heavy!"

The goat man read the sign for a moment longer before the statement registered, and stood erectly. "What? Heh,_ too heavy? _Since when have you been such a—" His disbelief was obvious as he snorted and turned. As if expecting someone tall, he was regarding high. Then, he looked down, seeing the group.

"Oh. Wrong guy. What are you doin' here?" He hopped down from the pedestal and waddled forth, looking passed them. "This here's the world-famous Coliseum—heroes only! And I've got my hands full preparing for the games," insulted he. Flippantly, he flapped his hand back at Sora. "So run along, pipsqueak."

"Strong words for a . . . whatever-you-are," Hikari muttered. Beside her, Sora had narrowed his eyes and sulked, glaring at the goat man.

The goat man passed Donald, but turned and scowled at her. "What? You've never seen a satyr before? Call me Phil." He continued walking forward; everyone's eyes were following him. "Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over the place to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."

Donald frowned, crossed his arms, and squinted at Phil. "You've got heroes standing right in front of you."

Goofy put his hands on Sora's shoulders, bringing the boy to smile sheepishly. "Yup! He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade!"

Confidently, the duck repositioned his feet so they were one in front of the other. He pointed to himself with his thumb. "And we're heroes, too!" Akamaru barked in agreement whereas Hikari scratched the back of her head, either uninterested or unsure.

Phil was now near the pedestal when he froze with one hoof in the air. He spun on his other hoof and regarded Sora with widened eyes and a dropped jaw. Bellowing incredulously, he pointed at him. "A hero? _That_ runt?" The satyr threw his head back with his hand on his brow and laughed hysterically, holding his shaking belly.

"What's so funny?" Sora frowned. Thumping his chest with his fist, he defended, "I've fought a bunch of monsters!"

The satyr laughed for a few more moments before he found the self-control to speak. "Hey, if you can't even move this. . . ." He leaned both hands on the pedestal and pushed forward. "You can't call yourself. . . ." He turned and pushed with his back; his hooves skid against the tile. Despite the effort, the pedestal remained immobile.

Sora crossed his arms and averted glowering eyes to the ceiling, losing his patience.

". . . a hero!" grunted Phil with one final push. Breathing laboriously, he fell onto his haunches, holding his belly. "Okay, so it takes more than brawn." Using the pedestal for support, he stood. "Well—," he took a breath, "—well, let's see what you can do."

The brunette uncrossed his arms, raising his brow hopefully. "Really?"

Phil put his fists on his hips. Apparently, realizing his own lack of physical strength had made him concede—somewhat. "The trial is tough. You got what it takes?"

Sora grinned and fisted. "I'm ready!"

"Okay, kid, let's see what you've got."

". . . I'm not ready." Everyone turned to regard the speaker: Hikari. She stood with one hand on her hip and the other tossing her bang. "You guys go on ahead. I'll pass. Is there a town or something somewhere nearby?"

Sora's grin faltered and he lowered his hands. He looked from Donald to Goofy, but they did not exchange gazes; as if they had expected something of the like. The Keybearer regarded the ground and then met her eyes. Tentatively, he asked, "Hiki . . . are you sure . . . ? I think it'll be a lot of fun."

She dithered. It was that look again; the one he had given her in Traverse Town when she had left him with Yuffie and Leon. He wore the same nigh crestfallen look. Pitiful blue eyes stared back at her that would stir any heart. By now, she would have thought he would have become less attached to her, even if she was the first benevolent encounter after a fearful, apocalyptic event, but there was that look.

Before answering, she looked away. "I didn't sound sure? I'll work on that. This isn't my kind of thing, that's all." Avoiding Sora's face, she glanced at Phil. "Well? If I was looking for someone, is there another place on this world that I could check?"

He pointed at the door. "Go through the Coliseum Gates and take a right down the mountain. There's a town called Thebes. Lotta weirdoes over there, so watch yourself."

She nodded. "Mm. Later, Satyr." Regarding Akamaru, she asked, "You comin' along?"

He remained sitting at her feet, thumping his tail on the floor. When she began walking away, though, he followed. Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched her leave, the foremost of them still appearing almost dejected.

An interrogating expression then crossed his face, questioning himself and her actions. Why did she seem not to participate with the group, like she was not a part of it? Furthermore, why did it bother him so much? He felt something in his chest jolt strongly, as if trying to force its way out of him.

It was not a flutter, and it was not as if his heart was beating quicker; a simple, quick, painful, jolt—similar to surprise, but not quite so. _Well anyway . . . we're friends._ The Keybearer followed the others into the Arena. _I'll start making Hikari feel more like part of the gang._

A determined smile came to his lips.

**

* * *

**

The buildings in Thebes followed typical Greek architecture, including many columns for its walls. It was a crazy location, hustling and bustling with both pedestrians and horse-drawn chariots in the street. While Hikari and Akamaru looked around the city, it seemed that they were surrounded by citizens all fanatical over a certain man by the name of Hercules.

He was on billboards. His countenance marked many vases in shop windows. In the center of town, there was a giant golden statue of the man "who put the 'glad' in 'gladiator'" and went "from 'zero' to 'hero'"—a handsome young man with rippling biceps and pectorals.

"They're worshipping this guy like he's some kind of God," she commented whilst looking at a giant shop dedicated solely to him: The Hercules Store. Above the entrance was another statue of the man as he straddled a rearing winged-steed, raising his sword as he pointed it into the sky. "More popular than the Hokage."

Akamaru remained next to her, finding it a smidgen difficult as he wove in-between the legs of people walking passed them. They proceeded down some concrete steps to the sidewalk where many people continued on into the street. Traffic had been stopped for that group of pedestrians; "stop" and "go" were indicated by a vase held up by a man on the corner.

Hikari stopped just before the street, skimming over the people for her brother. From all appearances, it would be in vain. The number of people was collective, and even if Naruto was brandished in full orange, it would not contrast as much with this crowd as it would have in a village full of dark-clad ninja. She formed a hand sign with full intention of using the byakugan, to provide aide in seeing hopefully a chakra network, when someone shoved into her accidentally.

At the same time as Hikari was being pushed in front of an old woman, the vase was rotated, indicating for pedestrians to linger on the sidewalk and the chariots to ride. They did so without hesitation, whizzing by. Whoever had bumped into Hikari had disappeared, so she turned to regard the old woman next to her as she straightened. The old woman was blinking in shock and awe with beady eyes from behind her glasses.

"Oh, bless your kind heart!" she said with genuine gratitude as she laid her hand over her thumping heart. As she laid that hand on Hikari's arm, she gave a bright, but weathered, smile. "My, my. If you hadn't stepped out in front of me, I might be—oh, well, sailing the Pool of a Thousand Souls in the Underworld!"

"It was an accident," responded the teen, distancing herself a little. "Don't thank me."

The old woman continued to smile, placing a hand on her cheek as if to blush. "Such a modest young lady, of course I will thank you! Oh, there was this beautiful gem I found lying on the ground the other day. . . ." She began rummaging through her giant, green purse. "Now me, I just don't have a chain to go with it! I think it'll be a lovely addition to that bracelet of yours."

Hikari raised her right wrist, looking at the lone gem dangling from the bracelet. Lowering it, she looked at the old woman. "I think your hearing aid might be failing you. I told you I saved you by accident."

"Oh, nonsense!" she insisted. "Ah, here we are!"

The gem that the old woman held out toward Hikari glinted in the sunlight. Held between bony, wrinkly fingertips, the leaf green stone was nostalgic of Konohagakure as it hung from a silver clip—perfect for attaching to her bracelet. Written on it in bold, black kanji was "Guts!"

Conceding, the teen raised her palm and accepted as the old woman dropped the gem in. Interestingly, she could feel chakra emanating from this stone, just like the one that would lend her the byakugan. Her fingers closed over it and she shrugged a shoulder. _The old woman's loss._ "It was no pro—"

Just as Hikari was going to make her acceptance statement, a chariot rode by speedily and closer to the curb than most. It proceeded through a puddle in the gutter, causing the wheel to splash a considerable amount of water on her. She had incidentally guarded the old woman, but her own posterior was entirely drenched from head to toe.

"Oh, dear, are you alright?"

She twisted her head away from the woman, but nodded. Her eyes fell on The Hercules Store across the street. "I'm fine. I guess . . . I've got to do some shopping, after all."

**

* * *

**

Phil stood in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy with a pleasantly surprised expression; they were just outside the Coliseum Arena, inside the Lobby. The boys' trial of abilities had just been completed. Approvingly, he complimented, "You know, you ain't bad, kid."

Sora scratched the back of his head with a small chuckle. Grinning with self-satisfaction, he clasped his hands behind his head and shifted his weight to his right foot, rocking the other on its heel. "Looks like I'm headed for the games!"

"I think not," bluntly stated the satyr.

"Why not?" demanded the Keybearer; his hands were lowered and turned to fists.

He raised two fingers. "Two words:—," he emphasized each one, "— **you guys **_**ain't**_** heroes.**"

Sora and Donald were full of disbelief, regarding the satyr with their mouths hanging open. Beside them, Goofy had been counting the words on his hand. _That's four words. . . ._ Donald slumped and hung his head whereas Sora stepped forward, glowering. "Come on!"

The teal doors behind them opened noisily, driving them to silence. Donald straightened, opening his eyes wide in inquiry and turned with the rest of them toward the door. Akamaru walked in with his tail wagging, but it was the sight following them that not only raised a few eyebrows, but cracked a few humorous smiles on the boys.

Her sandals were sky blue with pink straps across the top of her foot and in-between her big and second toe. On her ankle there was a button with Hercules's profile. "Air-Herc" was written in yellow on one of the straps.

The skirt of her forest green toga brushed against the shurikon holster strapped on her right thigh. Around her waist was a dark belt to which her kunai pouch was attached. She stood with her hands on the pane of the doorway, allowing a clear view of the modest settling of the toga's neckline across her collarbone. The tips of Hikari's black locks brushed against her shoulders as she stared into the room emotionlessly.

"Hiki . . . ," Sora snickered, ". . . why are you dressed like that?" Donald and Goofy chuckled beside him.

The girl slid her hands from the doorway and walked inside. "My clothes got dirty while I was in Thebes. This, is what was in the closest store." She stopped a few feet away from them and regarded the hem of her attire, tugging it down minutely. "Not the most modest of choices, but . . . I have to wait for my clothes 'til tomorrow; they're being laundered." She lifted her head. "Is the trial over?"

The boys narrowed their eyes and twisted toward the Arena entrance, where Phil had stood previously; now, he was gone. They jumped. "Waak! Where'd he go?!" Donald demanded.

Hikari shrugged. "He's running a tournament tomorrow, he must be preparing for them. You guys probably set him behind schedule." Shifting her weight to her right leg, she said, "You guys aren't cheerful enough to've passed the trial, so I'm assuming you failed. No reason to stick around, right? We'll leave tomorrow."

They did not argue as she turned to leave, instead following with sulky expressions upon their visages. Sora was glancing back at the Arena, especially disappointed. A scowl marked his brow and his fists were clenched; yet, he continued to bring up the rear.

Outside, the night was beginning to fall, bringing a dark dusk to the sky. The flames flickering in the urns brightened the area a smidgen as if trying to lighten the mood; apparently, it was unsuccessful. So enwrapped were they in their disdain, they did not notice the figure near the Coliseum's entrance; Hikari had simply ignored him, hardly sparing a glance.

He was a tall, melancholy figure with a dark robe and blue skin. More sinister than melancholy, the features of his face were long and sharp, and blue fire emanated from his scalp; yet he was not burned. Tall and imposing, his robe touched the sand and his fingers resembled willowy branches of trees in a spooky forest. Sharp, silver teeth were revealed when he spoke from by the pillars, casually leaning on the ledge.

"Huhhhh. . . . Rather stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?"

Everyone turned to regard the sinister countenance, wary. Akamaru grit his teeth and backed into Hikari's leg. On the other hand, Donald frowned and pointed, demanding, "Who are you?"

"Whoa, hold on there, fuzzboy." The stygian entity straightened, unlacing his hands, and approached. He raised his hand as if signaling to halt and then touched his face, closing his eyes in feigned thought. "Wait, let me guess. You want to enter the games, right?"

They did not respond, watching as he walked toward Sora. Distrusting of this entity, Hikari stepped forward, over Akamaru, and procured a kunai. She stood between Sora and the blue fire-haired man, scowling into his eyes as he opened them. He frowned and lowered his hand. "Relax, my heartless, yellow-eyed friend . . . I only want to help the kid out."

The expression he wore did not reflect the tone of his words; her stance remained as was, not faltering even under his words. It was like he was threatening her, but in a not-so-obvious way. _Heartless . . . does he know, or is he poking fun at my appearance? _She glanced at Sora when he said, "She's not a Heartless."

He met her eyes and asked, "Hiki . . . come on."

Her eyes lingered on the brunette momentarily; she gripped the kunai tighter. Then, she twirled it so it was withdrawn and then stowed away in her pouch. Glancing up at the entity—who looked at her with a cocky smile—she stepped back, allowing him to come closer to Sora. When he turned from her, she stared blankly at the sand and crossed her arms, almost scowling. _Your consequence._

He came up behind Sora and placed a hand on his shoulder. The brunette looked up at him. "Well, then, hey, get a load of this." His other hand was raised near Sora's face; a slip of paper materialized from a small amount of black smoke. "Woop!"

Sora's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He smiled and looked back up at the strange entity. "A pass?" He accepted it thoughtlessly.

"It's all yours. Good luck, kid." He released Sora and began to walk away toward the World Exit. "I'm pulling for you, little shorty."

Hikari did not like the underlying dark, sinister tone of his voice. _Well . . . there's no way he could know I'm heartless. . . ._

**

* * *

**

"Be careful, tomorrow," she said later within the Gummi. She stood in the room she and Sora shared, unhooking the belt with her kunai pouch from around her waist. Her eyes regarded him as he lied in the top bunk.

He leaned over the edge, frowning, and watched her set the belt aside. "Why are you saying that? You don't think we can do it either?"

"That satyr knows what he's talking about. Heard about him in Thebes almost as much as whom he's trained. 'Philotetes, the trainer of heroes,' they called him—Phil for short. Couple years ago, my teacher kept my team from participating in the Chuunin Exams—"

"Chuunin Exams?"

"It was a three-part test for genin, or first-level ninja, to prove that they had the skills to go onto the second level—chuunin. Anyway, she didn't think we were ready to take part in the Exams, and she was right—only one out of the hundreds of genin that took that exam actually passed. There were some fatalities, too." She looked away and closed her hands, expressionless. "I just don't see a reason why that 'guy' in the robe would care if you entered the games. This is only our first day on this world. He shouldn't know us, yet he's 'pulling for you.' What's in it for him?"

Sora averted his eyes in thought, remaining silent.

Shaking her head, Hikari unstrapped her holster from her thigh and set it by her kunai pouch. "Take extra potions, maybe a few ethers. Don't eat heavily in the morning unless you want to risk throwing up." She straightened. "Do you still have Brave Warrior?"

He reached down his hand and she took it, checking his wrist. For some reason, her previously stoic expression held a mixed smidgen of concern and relief, represented by a wrinkle in her brow and a slightly upturned corner of her mouth. As soon as she let go of him, her lack of expression returned. There was a painful jolt in his chest again, just like before.

Suddenly, he remembered his resolve. "You could fight with us, if you're so worried."

Her brow rose diminutively. "Worried?"

"Like you're my mom or something."

She looked away and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Mother? Is that right . . . ? I'm not participating because I have nothing to prove, and my life to lose. Don't forget, Donald's Cure spell won't work on me. It'd slow us down even more than if you pass tomorrow's preliminaries." Sitting on her bed, staring forward, she mumbled, "I've waited a long time, long enough, to find my brother."

Akamaru lifted himself onto his hind legs and set his paws on the edge, turning his nose toward her. Somehow sensing an unrest that should not have been there, he jumped onto the bed and nudged her arm with his cold, wet nose; she flinched and looked at him, silently meeting his gaze. She reached and scratched his head, turning her gaze forward again.

_Not a single shred of orange decorated him, but the blonde, spiky hair appeared unmistakable. It was styled more than the boy she knew, and he was much taller and muscular now. In fact, he looked like he could have been older than fifteen years._

_A single black wing, much like a bat's, protruded from his back, blocking a tattered cape from covering the metal shoulder pad adorning his left shoulder. He wore baggy, midnight blue pants tucked into brown boots as well as a sleeveless shirt. The cape draped his right shoulder and wrapped loosely around his neck. Metal armor hung over his right hip from his waist. Both of his hands were in brown gloves reaching up his forearms, but only on his left were there gold talons._

_Even so, his scent was just as Hikari had anticipated—reeking of darkness with very little light._

_She saw him down the street, standing near the statue of Hercules; his back was to her and he appeared to be gazing at it. With little hesitation, she ran toward him, a deep scowl on her face. Effortlessly, she weaved her way around a few pedestrians. Akamaru ran behind her, keeping up as well as his short legs would allow._

_When she came up just behind and to the side of the blonde, she stopped and raised her right leg, swinging it with her heel heading toward his waist. It was not a very subtle move; she had underestimated him immensely. Before her heel made contact, the blonde man turned and snatched her ankle up in his talons, sweeping her off her feet. ". . . !"_

_She hung upside down, suspended in his grasp. Her hands immediately went to the hem of her toga, keeping it from falling and revealing what she wore beneath._

"_Tifa?" a masculine voice asked; there was little emotion aside from minute surprise._

_Assuming it belonged to the blonde, she tucked in her chin and looked up at his face. Yellow eyes met blue on a visage far too mature to be whom she had thought and lacked the whisker-like markings on his cheeks. His eyes were a deep, despondent, sapphire blue, not bright, optimistic, and cerulean._

_Hikari lowered her lids half over her eyes, averting her gaze. Because of the blood rushing to her head, her face appeared to be red. "No. Sorry, thought you were someone else," she said flippantly. She lowered an arm and placed her hand on the ground. "Mind letting my ankle go, now?"_

_He stared at her for a few moments before complying. He watched her do something like a cartwheel to stand on her feet, upright. "Later, Not-Naruto."_

Sora felt a minuscule contrition, silenced momentarily. Then, he asked, "How long has it been since you've been away from your brother?"

Hikari retracted her hand from Akamaru and crossed her arms in front of her stomach. She leaned with her elbows on her knees. "Three years. I ended up on Disney Castle, he's someplace else. For all I know, he's fallen prey to the darkness, forever. But he should be okay; he had something protecting him. . . ."

Sora's brow raised and his mouth opened. "Three years?!" A knot tied in his stomach. _What if it takes me that long to find Riku and Kairi?_

"Yeah. This is the first time I've been able to actively go look for him." She reached down and undid her sandals. "He'd participated in those Exams, you know. I remember being insanely jealous of him. . . . There was a tournament for the third portion—he was one of the few to make it that far. Genin had to exhibit their combat skills one-on-one; the only part of the Exam that wasn't done as a team."

She tossed her sandals by her kunai pouch and lied back onto her bed. "He won the first battle, but he didn't get to compete in a second one because the Exams were interrupted by an invasion of foreign ninja and Heartless. Konoha—my village—prevailed, but it wasn't without a cost. We lost our Hokage, the village leader. Our village was thrashed. My brother was injured greatly. Still, he told me, 'Next time, we'll pass the Chuunin Exams together, Hiki. Believe it!' But before the next Exams, our world submitted to another Heartless invasion."

She closed her eyes. "Many shady characters had been let into our village for those Exams, and all that crap happened. Phil said heroes come from all over to compete in these games, isn't that right? Well there's no such thing as a hero without a villain. I just think you should be careful in this tournament."

Sora's stare was hard, reflecting profound thought. He had not imagined that her world had been anything like that—he had never given it thought. His mouth was a straight line as he scowled, speculating something else. _Where've I heard that? "Believe it." . . ._ Abruptly, his eyes widened. "Wait! Hiki, your brother—is his name 'Naruto'?"

He heard a pause beneath him. "Naruto Uzumaki. Why?"

He grinned widely and exclaimed, "I know him! He was on Destiny Islands—my world!"

Hikari opened her eyes slowly, staring at the bottom side of Sora's top bunk. Akamaru, who was curled up beside her, turned to rest his chin on her stomach. "I see. But that doesn't help me, does it? Since your world also met its end, he could be anywhere still."

"Oh . . . ," the brunette said awkwardly. That had been far from the response he had expected. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Since you know what he looks like, you can keep an eye out for him. But now, go to sleep. You should be rested and well-alert for tomorrow." She closed her eyes again.

He rolled onto his back and used his arms as an extra pillow, sighing. She had sounded so distant talking even about her brother—no excitement when hearing about him, either. Perhaps making her feel closer to them would be tougher than he thought. "Night."

"Yeah. Night."

**End of Chapter Nine  
**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Ten: Ticket to Trouble

Cloud stared at her emotionlessly, only minutely confused by the way she seemed to like referring to him. Sans comment, he turned and began heading toward the Lobby entrance as Sora, Donald, and Goofy were entering the Arena. They appeared to be roughly rejuvenated, fresh; Hikari assumed that they had taken potions.

She looked back at Cloud. "If he dies . . . I will blame you, and your fire-haired friend."

* * *

'Ello poppets! So, I tried upping the pace for Olympus Coliseum, since some area saying it's a liiiiiiiittle too slow-moving, but I think my attempts at expediting simply made it a bit rushed XP Spent only two chapters on this world. Such a shame, since I really like the Hercules film. Oh well, tell me whatcha guys think! :D How many guessed Naruto's whereabouts? Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ace and Jenn! God bless! (I don't know why, but the format thingy doesn't wanna comply again *grrr*)


	10. Ticket to Trouble

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "Since you know what he looks like, you can keep an eye out for him. But now, go to sleep. You should be rested and well-alert for tomorrow." She closed her eyes again.

He rolled onto his back and used his arms as an extra pillow, sighing. She had sounded so distant talking even about her brother—no excitement when hearing about him, either. Perhaps making her feel closer to them would be tougher than he thought. "Night."

"Yeah. Night."

**Chapter Ten: Ticket to Trouble**

From the shadows of a den just outside the Coliseum's Arena, the tense Hades watched as Sora, Donald, and Goofy took out the last of the Heartless within the battleground. The three made cries of victory, excited to be going onto the next round; the crowd cheered with them. Sora twirled his Keyblade and hoisted it onto his shoulder coolly, about-facing in a complacent manner.

In the dimly lit den, what was not revealed by sunlight had a little light brought to it by Hades' hair. The blue flame burned more plainly then before, a reflection of his embarking apprehension. "That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it," he demanded imperatively. His arm swept in front of himself in a no-nonsense manner. "Just take him out."

Leaning against the yellow brick wall was the young man Hikari had mistaken for Naruto; he was entered in the games under his true name of "Cloud." His left hand hung from his belt as he opened his eyes, lifting his gaze from the ground to Hades. With little expression, he looked toward Sora, unimpressed. "The great God of the Underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry, but my contract says—"

Hades' fire spread from his scalp to along his shoulders, growing with his fury, and turned yellow against his currently red skin; he leaned back and flailed in exasperation. "I know! _You don't think I know?_ _**I**_wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament." He pointed at Sora but glowered at Cloud; his fire calmed diminutively, and he reverted to his normal hues. "But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come _on._"

In the Arena, Phil appeared to be giving Sora a few pointers, or lecturing him; the latter was more likely since the brunette scratched the back of his head, as if he were discomfited. Hades continued calmly, "Hey, it's like that old goat says—Rule Eleven: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it!" He mimed punching.

Cloud continued regarding Sora.

"I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" he chuckled.

The blonde did not respond, dropping his hand from his belt. He lifted himself away from the wall and left the den silently. Hades glanced after him, side-long. "Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home." He held his chin. "Still . . . suckers like him are hard to come by."

His snicker was nearly eclipsed by a deep, sinister growling.

**

* * *

**

The image of Cloud departing from the den and Hades still standing within was reflected in lavender-white, no-pupil byakugan eyes lent to Hikari by one of the summon gems dangling from her bracelet. Above them was a hardened brow as she watched him enter the Arena.

She was in the Coliseum seating with Akamaru on her left side, barking his support, whereas Jiminy sat on her right shoulder, cheering with the crowd. Her byakugan eyes were deactivated as she fingered her shurikon holster. _I don't like this._

Far below in the Arena—a concrete area with four Greek columns in the corners—Sora stood with Donald and Goofy on the right. On the other side, Cloud held his giant, raggedly bandaged heavy sword with seemingly little effort.

"They're competing against Not-Naruto, now," she mumbled to herself. "He's tough; took out his Heartless adversaries much quicker than Sora, Donald, and Goofy." _And if I'm right, and it's not just coincidence that they were in that den, then he's in cahoots with the guy who gave Sora the pass._ "This is bad. They don't stand a chance."

Jiminy stopped cheering. "That's no way to talk, Hikari! Why, with the three of them together, they can do it!" He thumped his chest. "Especially if we believe with them, with all our hearts. You've _gotta_ be more optimistic!"

_Heart. Right. Rub it in._ Her eyes swept over the rest of the Coliseum, checking for suspicious characters or something of the like. "Admittedly, he's doing better than I thought he would. He might come out of the rookie stage, soon, but I still don't think he's mastered all his moves yet. But, this is Round Seven, and he hardly looks tired. I'll give him that.

"Something just isn't right, with any of it. . . ." She trailed off into speculation, wondering also what motive Hades would have to harm Sora—or rather go through the trouble of paying someone to do it, if that was the case. Was that guy a Heartless, threatened by the Keyblade? That could not be, she would have sensed so. . . .

The match below commenced. Cloud calmly took a few steps to the side, watching his three adversaries. Sora charged in straight away, eager to take him on. He was aware of the blade, keeping an eye on it, and swung his Key. The blonde hoisted his sword; his elbows were raised but the tip pointed down, guarding him and parrying the attack.

"Oh, I can't watch!" Jiminy cried as he covered his eyes. Hikari glanced at him, partially tempted to pry them open as he had broken her conjecture; however, then she would risk squishing him as he would almost surely struggle against it, and that they could not have. The temptation was put to rest when he parted his fingers and peeked through.

She looked back in time to see Cloud cry out and slide across the battleground toward Sora. The brunette rolled out of the way just in time. Almost immediately, Cloud performed the same move again; this time, Sora saved himself by falling back onto his rear. Quickly, he stood and put some distance between them.

Goofy charged at the blonde, keeping his shield poised both to offend and defend—whichever would be called for. His brow was wrinkled in a battle-ready expression as he approached. When he came near, he drew in his shield, preparing to jut it in front of him; before he did so, Cloud raised his blade and brought it directly down, striking powerfully and unbalancing the goof. A heavy, horizontal slash smashed the shield into his face and forced him to take a few steps back. Ultimately, he fell onto his bottom, seeing stars.

"Goofy!" Donald called. He waddled forth with his staff raised, intending to heal his friend, when their adversary jumped high into the air. The duck hardly caught the action out of the corner of his eye and looked up, squawking with wide eyes. Nearly brushing against him, the blade dug into the ground directly in front of him; Cloud landed behind it._ "Waaaaak!!"_

Hikari crossed her arms and watched Donald fall back and faint; Akamaru whimpered and put his paw over his brow, as if saying, "I can't believe he did that!" People around them also responded negatively.

An expression of panic crossed Sora's face as he watched his formidable opponent lift his hefty blade from the ground. His eyes darted from Donald to Goofy to Cloud, meeting the blonde's eyes. Swallowing, he pointed his Keyblade into the air, "—Thunder!—," and lightning bolts cascaded around the area. One of them struck Cloud, forestalling him for only a moment as the shock streamed through his system.

In the stands, Hikari uncrossed her arms and scooted to the edge of her seat. She began calculating in murmurs. "He's learning magic pretty fast. His third spell already. . . . But now he's fighting alone. . . ."

Cloud recovered from the spell quickly and faced Sora, bringing his sword in front of him. A golden energy emanated from the blade and he cried out, sliding across the field toward the brunette once more; yet again he dodged, but this time, his shorts were nicked. He ran and escaped the sliding dash that followed immediately; then again as the situation called for it.

When Cloud paused, so did he, wiping the back of his glove against his sweaty forehead. The successive matches were beginning to take their toll; his muscles were beginning to tire and hurt, and his breath came quicker. Taking this opportunity, he reached into his pocket in search of a potion, but he had none left. He glanced in the direction where he had last seen Cloud, only to see him coming up once more.

Sora cried out and raised his Keyblade to defend himself; he held it horizontally at the handle and near the weapon's protrusions, catching Cloud's vertical slash. He almost failed in holding it back. There was great stress in his upper body and in his legs as he used them to brace himself against the Arena floor. Sweat broke out on his forehead and temples whereas Cloud simply pressed down, gazing at Sora soullessly.

Soon, he relieved pressure, withdrawing his sword; then, as Sora was recovering, swept the blade across Sora's waist.

The crowd— along with Jiminy, who covered his eyes—gasped and Hikari stood up, staring down with widened eyes and clenched fists. Something within her chest stirred. "Sora . . . !"

The Keybearer lied on his side on the Arena floor, his weapon a few inches from his hand. For a few moments, he lied motionless, but Hikari noted that he was intact; Cloud had not hit him with the slicing edge of the blade, but the blunt one instead. Next, his hand reached for the hilt of the Keyblade, and he grabbed it. A few relieved sighs came from the audience.

Slowly, Sora raised his arm until the tip of the Keyblade was set on the ground at an angle with which he could use it as leverage. His other hand lied flat on the ground and he pushed himself up onto his knee, tipping the Keyblade upright as he straightened himself. Too tired was he to stand fully, so he only was able to raise one knee. He continued to use the Keyblade for support.

Approaching, Cloud shortly towered over the brunette. On the sideline, Phil was waddling with a white towel in hand, intending to throw it in for Sora. Nearby also stood Hades, whom was recognized by Hikari instantly. He was grinning far too forebodingly.

Hikari's scowl deepened a smidgen and she lifted Jiminy off of her shoulder, tossing him on top of Akamaru. She concentrated chakra to the bottom of her feet and jumped, allowing herself to sail to the wall a number of rows behind her. She ran parallel to the rows, toward the steps; simply stepping over peoples feet down her row would have taken too long. She began taking out kunai.

Cloud raised his sword with both hands, lugging it over his right shoulder. Sora lowered his head, bracing himself to be stricken. The blonde was pausing as he heard the gates being lifted in the back of the Arena. He lowered his sword and twisted, looking in the direction of where the sound had come from—then, he was struck down by a giant, black paw.

Sora lifted his head and gasped, staring with wide eyes at the monstrosity before him. He heard the people in the stands screaming and running for the Lobby—as well as the snarls from the three-headed beast brandishing all of its long, yellowed teeth. The dog with three heads was of considerable size, taking up about a third of the Arena and had red eyes and small ears.

Flippantly, Hades commented, "Oh, right. There was one other rule I forgot: Accidents happen." His figure disappeared in the shadows as he left the Arena.

A beefy man with orange hair entered the Arena and faced the three-headed dog—Cerberus—head-on, using his strength to hinder the beast. He wore a Spartan outfit colored a deep, dull orange with a belt around his waist bearing a gold buckle adorned with a cloud and lightning bolt design. As if he were a superhero, a blue cape was attached to his shoulders.

Hikari was running down the steps, dodging frightened citizens. She had seen Hades leave and watched the man—whom from appearances she assumed to be the mighty Hercules—enter the scene. _I knew it. That hothead had something up his sleeve, all along. . . ._

Phil confirmed her suspicions of the man's identity by calling him "Herc" from the Coliseum stands. The impressive Hercules continued to hold Cerberus back as he looked over his shoulder. Sora was frozen, gawking, and Donald and Goofy were unconscious still. "Phil, get them out of here!"

The satyr nodded and hopped down the steps, heading toward the trio. Sora finally came to his senses and ran to Donald, shaking him awake. Phil did the same for Goofy. Both the knight and the magician stared at Cerberus with wide eyes before they were ushered out by Phil and Sora. They were the last to exit, thus Hercules pushed Cerberus away potently.

At least, he had thought that they were the last to leave.

Hikari appeared at his side, staring at Cerberus with a non-fearing expression. "I'll take it from here," she said, forming a string of hand seals. Dismissively, she jerked her head in Cloud's direction. "You can get him out of here." Her final seal was tiger, the sign of flames.

Hercules looked from her to Cloud to Cerberus and to her again. Her frame was too small, he thought, for her to be a formidable adversary to Cerberus, the Guardian of the Underworld. "Ma'am, I don't think you—"

Then, she reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out two kunai pre-attached to wire. Both were thrown and embedded into the three-headed dog, one each diverting to either side of the middle head. She took a deep breath—_Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!_—and released a torrential burst of fire that divided between the two guide wires. As the fire hit him Cerberus roared and took a few steps back; the knives were pulled out of him.

She kept her eyes on the dog as she reeled in the wire, not appearing to mind the heat it conducted. "Fluffy and I will play safe—don't worry. Take Not-Naruto and go."

Hercules seemed still to have a hesitation or two about leaving a young girl to face this monster, but obliged as he went to pick up Cloud. He slung the blonde over his shoulder and went toward the Arena entrance. "Good luck."

"Yep." Hikari finished reeling in the kunai and wire and replaced them in her kunai pouch. She leaned her head back as the snarling, salivating beast approached her. "Guess being heartless does sometimes have its perks; Fluffy doesn't scare me a bit. Aren't you so big and bad?"

**

* * *

**

A Corridor of Darkness opened in his faintly lit chamber, drawing his serpentine yellow eyes to open. He lied in a bed suitable of his size with white sheets. Perspiration had leaked from his pores, leaving some of his long, stygian locks to cling to his snake-like countenance; the rest lied across the pillow. Light purple marks shadowed his eyelids and followed the curve of his nose.

He was a sickly man, obviously exhausted and ailed with dying arms that had been affected by a forbidden sealing technique a little over three years ago. They were bandaged now, but completely useless to him. Despite this, he sat up, but with difficulty. His bangs fell in such a way that nearly the entire right side of his face was masked.

The cloaked man stepped out of the corridor, into the room. Behind his glasses, his black eyes hardened; like it was hard to watch. He removed his hood as the corridor disappeared; his silver hair was held back in a ponytail. "Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes disdainfully. His voice was raspy and had a hissing tone to it. "You still haven't found him? No sign of Sasuke yet?"

"Regrettably, no," the man named Kabuto Yakushi responded. He heard Orochimaru's snarl. "But I did find the location of someone else, another Konoha genin of the past. I'm not sure how willing she'd be to return, but from the information I gathered, she's already a shell. The process of getting rid of her heart for yours could be skipped."

While the shadows of his face darkened, his sclera became a little plainer. "I want only Sasuke! Only his body will do . . . if I am to expand my jutsu to its greatest lengths. I _need_ the sharingan."

"My lord," Kabuto began, "it's been three years. That body won't hold out much longer, and we still have no idea of Sasuke's whereabouts. While we have bodies here, for experimentation, most of them aren't ninja, therefore would not be viable hosts. At least buy some time for yourself before it's too late!"

Orochimaru winced; his fatigued body was become difficult to keep sitting up.

Taking the silence as opportunity to continue, the silver-haired medical nin procured his ninja info cards. From the top of the deck, he pulled a card and presented the side containing information to his superior. "The Nine-tailed junchuuriki's sister, Hikari Uzumaki. Remember her?"

The serpent-like man regarded the card with a scowl, trying to remember. He knew the name, and the girl, but the physiognomy featured on that card was elusive to his memory.

"Perhaps her losing her heart affected one's remembrance of her, but her facade since we last saw her has changed greatly. In fact, her resemblance to you is very significant; didn't recognize her, at first." He withdrew his card and shuffled the deck. "But she kept her name and some of her mannerisms. I took the liberty of checking her Gummi's navigation information. I know to which world, next, she will be traveling with the Keybearer."

Orochimaru's smirk was bitter. "I want nothing from her body. . . . She was too weak to learn my techniques, she possesses nothing special for me to utilize. . . ."

"Except that she's heartless and bears your mark." Kabuto's expression now was solemn. "You've held out for Sasuke long enough. You don't have time to be picky. If not her body, then use mine—"

"You should mind your tongue when you talk to me, Kabuto," he warned. The shadows of his face had deepened with his scowling brow. The corner of his mouth curved, flashing white, viper fangs. A dark chuckle came from his throat as he spoke rhetorically. "Hikari Uzumaki . . . borrowed _my _appearance, now, have you?"

**

* * *

**

Hikari formed a supplementary seal and touched the gem that she had received from the old woman in Thebes the day before. The kanji reading "Guts" glowed as her chakra mingled with the chakra in it. Automatically, her body felt as if a ton of weight had been lifted from her limbs, like she was liberated from weighty chains.

One of Cerberus's heads moved to snap its jaws at her, growling fiercely, when she ducked and ran between his legs, dashing in a flash. She found herself clear on the other end of the Arena, much farther than she had anticipated; she moved astronomically faster than even if she had applied chakra to the soles of her feet.

She looked at the gem. For the sake of experimentation, she moved to one of the columns and kicked it; with very little resistance, almost none, it crumbled into small pieces. _Speed and strength? Hmm._ She began to form a string of seals. _Guess that saves me cha—_ Her eyes narrowed at the seal. This gem also appeared to forestall her ability to manipulate chakra.

All three heads were lifted and leaned back as darkness gurgled within their jaws. Hikari reached into her shurikon holster and threw a few of the projectile stars at him. They planted themselves into his side, though there was only a deep whine showing that he felt them. He lowered his heads and that darkness spilled to the ground in one thick, damp cloud that appeared to be absorbed into the sand.

A pool of dark magic came to be underneath her, rippling with blues and a white-hot center. At the same time as she noticed it, the core suddenly burst and sent a burning pain on Hikari's legs, thighs, and parts of her arms. She ignored the pain, especially seeing as there was no visible injury, and dashed across the sand a few feet.

The magic seemed to be of the sensory kind, for another pool came up beneath her; subsequently she continued moving and watched out of the corner of her eye as the magic trailed behind her and shot up like small geysers. Cerberus paraded around the Arena, allowing the magic to do its work when he began breathing giant, spherical energy projectiles.

Hikari dodged these projectiles, discovering that while they homed in on her direction, they would in due course fall into the ground and diffuse. Eventually, Hikari jumped up high, above the beast's back, and somersaulted; she stuck out her right leg in a high arc and dropped her heel on Cerberus's back. _Taijutsu: Bruising Sky Leg!_ He barked and collapsed, stomach hitting the ground, and turned his heads, trying to snap at her.

"You aren't playing very nicely," she stated while reaching into her kunai pouch. The kunai she withdrew were wired like before, only now, she held four. "You've turned me into a liar. Guess I won't play nice, either."

She threw two of the kunai in-between the necks once more and the other two in his back, near her feet. Cerberus began prancing around, howling in pain, while she waited for him to stop long enough for her plan to be carried out. He stopped jumping near the opposite wall of the entrance.

The kunoichi vaulted near the wall and dismissed the power lent to her by the summon gem, intending to use chakra in order to take root on the wall. However, something went terribly wrong. Every muscle below her neck screamed in exorbitant agony and were all of a sudden useless, completely immobilized. Her body felt totally limp, as if she were under some sort of paralysis. She collided with the wall and dropped toward the ground; the wire of the kunai slipped from her grasp until she thumped onto the sand.

While Cerberus was still preoccupied with the kunai in his back, Hikari turned her head and tried lifting her arm; it trembled, but remained in place. The aches made her wince. She rolled her head and tucked in her chin, gazing at her chest.

_This is bad . . . I just might have to use that,_ she thought. Her eyes then followed Cerberus as he regained his composure and squinted at her with a snarl. She narrowed her own eyes, feeling the sweat dew on her temples, when he reared on his hind legs. She shut her eyes and grunted, trying to move in spite of her muscles' protestations. Any moment, she knew one of those paws would land on her and squish her flat, that her pain would be significantly worse if she did not die.

Suddenly, she was scooped up in someone's arms, brought closely to them, and was carried away from the danger in one swift movement. She opened her eyes, staring into sapphire blue orbs, and winced as her savior nearly dropped her during the tremor of impact from Cerberus's landing. Her muscles, though still ailing, released some of their tension. "Not-Naruto. . . ."

Cloud stared at her emotionlessly, only minutely confused by the way she seemed to like referring to him. Sans comment, he turned and began heading toward the Lobby entrance as Sora, Donald, and Goofy were entering the Arena. They appeared to be nigh rejuvenated, fresh; Hikari assumed that they had taken potions.

She looked back at Cloud. "If he dies . . . I will blame you, and your fire-haired friend."

He stared silently and nodded.

**

* * *

**

A room connected to the Lobby had a few rows of beds and medical supplies; an infirmary for immediate medical care that could not be salvaged by a simple Cure spell or less simple, but not too complex, Curaga. Hikari had been laid on one of the beds whereas Cloud sat on one next to her.

Akamaru jumped onto the bed and walked up her torso to her face. Jiminy was on his back, gazing at her with concern as the dog nudged her cheek with his nose. She cringed and rolled her face away. "Stop that, dumb dog. I'm fine." Shutting her eyes, she raised a shaky limb with a grunt of effort, and placed her hand on his brow, pushing him away a little. Her brow quivered and sweat matted her hair by her temples.

"Are you sure, Hikari? You look like you're hurtin' a lot," Jiminy said.

"That should pass in a few days. Even though it hurts a lot, I can move my arm on my own." She glanced at the bracelet on the wrist of the hand on Akamaru's head. After some speculation, she deduced that the gem's power had strained her body passed normal limits; her own body could not move so quickly on its own, even with the aide of chakra, therefore it pulled nearly all of her muscles—more in her legs and possibly abdominals than her arms, as she had applied the speed more than power. "Soon, I'll probably be able to sit up by myself. Actually, if Akamaru would get off of me, I'd hurt less right now."

Akamaru whimpered and withdrew, reversing from beneath her hand until he was on the bed, at her feet. Hikari closed her mouth and slowly slid her hand to lie at her side. Silent, she rolled her head and stared at Cloud.

He stared back just as quietly, facing her with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands hanging in the center. The lack of emotion in his expression kept his gaze ambiguous, for she could not be sure if he was staring at her or into space. Finally, she asked, "Why were you going to kill Sora, yet later saved me? Change of heart?"

His mind appeared to be more present, for he looked her in the eye more directly. Leaning forward a little more, he brought his hands up and laid one over the other in front of his mouth. He closed his eyes. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help." There was a pregnant pause as he separated and lowered his hands. "I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired."

The yellow-eyed teen averted her gaze, absorbing his words. She looked at him once again when he stood and lifted his head. From his profile, she saw that his eyes were directed at one of the urns filled with fire acting as a light fixture. "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Another long stillness commenced. Hikari dropped her stare from the man's profile when she caught a glimpse of his back. Fair flesh and long, shallow gashes were visible through slits in his clothing and cape; the injury must have been sustained when Cerberus had knocked him down.

There was a mild tremor, bringing both of them to glance in the direction of the doorway, toward the Arena. To their knowledge, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the midst of fighting, still.

"Hey," she said to him," there should be some ointment in the cupboards, or disinfectant. Get that and help me sit up. Your wounds should be tended to."

Cloud stared at her with a blank expression for a fleeting moment, as if he had not realized he was hurt. Then, he reacted to small breeze hitting his bare skin. After a small pause, he went to find what she had requested, and brought it back with some cotton balls. Awkwardly, he helped her to sit up. She grunted a few times and bit back a yell. She had to use her hands to bring her legs over the edge, and moved toward the head of the bed.

She looked up at him. "Don't be shy. If I'm going to tend your wounds, then I'll need you to take your shirt off."

A light reddish hue came to his cheeks, hidden mostly by the cape's neck. "Not shy," he muttered quietly, much like a young, embarrassed child would. With that, he pulled off the cape and began undressing the upper-half of his body. Hikari looked away, allowing him some sense of modesty (though she was not very interested in what he looked like half-naked in the first place.)

Shirtless, he sat in front of her with his posterior facing her direction. The scratches were three in number and as shallow as she had observed. They cut across his tone back almost completely. After a moment of examining them, noticing they would not require stitches, she went to work cleaning them.

They sat in the quiet for a few moments; Hikari was gentle as she applied the disinfectant, considerate despite her own pains. He appeared to take the sting well, regardless.

"Me too."

Cloud twisted a little, glancing over his shoulder. She continued looking at his back and pushed him weakly in a way of telling him to face forward again. He waited for her to say more.

She closed her eyes and hit her forehead against his back, wincing with the agony in her stomach muscles from leaning forward. His body felt warmer against her forehead than it did her fingertips. "Somehow, you take one bite of that forbidden fruit, and it never leaves you. The taste lingers on your tongue; the scent stains your nostrils; the power that fills you . . . so much, that it makes you sick. You can never use darkness to find the light . . . only search blindly until you find its glimmer. Or douse someone else's so yours shines brighter. . . . I'm searching, too."

He turned his head to the side, toward her. "For your light?"

She nodded against his back. "Mm."

"Don't lose sight of it."

There was yet another pause. She lifted her hand and placed it on his back, slowly taking another cotton ball to his wound, absently. The shine had left her eyes. "But . . . what if I don't know, who or what, my light is?"

". . . ." He seemed to search for an answer, thinking it over for a moment. His eyes stared ahead blankly, glancing over Akamaru and Jiminy without really seeing them. He cringed a little when the swab found a deeper portion of an uneven wound. Finally, he opened his mouth. "When you find it, you'll know. You just . . . will."

The girl's eyes glanced up, lifting with her head until she was staring at the back of his; she had drawn her forehead from his back. The wrinkles around her eyes, evident from the narrowing around them, made her appear to be in pain; had one not known better, they would have probably attributed the hurt to the conversation, not movement.

But the curve of her mouth appeared simply too pitiful.

**

* * *

**

The sky was darkened with the sun's setting hours before, making it appear to be a dark, sinister purple or black. Hades stood near the Coliseum Gates after his plans had failed; a Hercules action figure was in the palm of his hand. The doll posed in his palm, seemingly of his own will, like a revered hero accepting applause.

"He's strong, he's kind. He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect. Perfect." Embers sparked for a blue fire lit in his hand, growing to consume the doll. His skin became red, and once again his hair burned brightly like magnesium. "Per-fect-ly _infuriating!_" Fire shot high into the sky, brightening the area momentarily.

Hades cooled, returning to his normal hue as an aura of black smoke breathed through his pores and rose to the sky. He was taking in deep breaths and releasing them quickly, letting some tension go. "Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. Relax.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Here's what you do." He spoke persuasively to himself. "Let Hercules train the kid. In the next games, I'll take care of them both." When he made a fist, he realized a presence behind him, but did not turn to regard it. Instead, he glanced. "Who invited you to the party? Stay out of this. This is my show."

The man stared forward soullessly with unusual eyes. Around grey irises, his sclera was marked with many ripples. Above those eyes was a shinobi hitaiate with a scratch across four lines; he was one formerly of the Rain Village. Black hoop earrings ran up along the lobes and tops of either ear; plugs pierced horizontally through his nose; and two pikes also pierced through his bottom lip. He wore a black robe with a wide, high collar and artistic red clouds. Bright, spiky orange hair rested on his head.

He was unfazed by Hades' statement. "Taking this path will lead to great pain, and great suffering . . . proceed."

**End of Chapter Ten**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Eleven: Breaking Through

Sora clenched his jaw and turned his hands to fists. He was blinking wide eyes rapidly, stepping back. With more conviction, he said, "Well, if that's how you feel—!"

"It is what I know. We're just allies, on the same side. Not—friends."

He clicked his tongue and snapped, "—Fine! Then we aren't!—," before he about-faced and left. His teeth grit against one another as his chest seemed to ache twice-fold, more than it should have. There was a crack, but it did not feel like it was his heart. A breaching of some sort, a feeling that was not his, it stayed with him anyway. _His_ feelings of anger brushed those_ intruding_ aside.

* * *

Hee hee. Chapter ten, everybody!! This is definitely my favorite thus far—and not solely because I'm a Cloud fangirl. . . . Okay, that may play into it a little, but I also think this chapter turned out well overall! The mysterious man at the end and Orochimaru were a pain in the butt to write—that's what I get for paying so little attention to Naruto villains XD—but I hope they came out okay. As you may've noticed, I took another liberty with the time—I know that Orochimaru's arms seem to rot after the Third Hokage sealed them away, and he had to recycle his soul much sooner than three years, buuuuut I decided he didn't. (That's the beauty of fanfiction!)

I'm quite proud of myself in regard to the fight scenes, as well :D I tried to keep them as true to the game as possible, sometimes using the strategy guide for a few tips and jutsu info came from leafninja dot com. (Oh, and since I've thought about it, I am not Nomura, Kishimoto, or Disney---subsequently, I do not own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or any Disney shiz.)

Another thing: for awhile, I've had a poll on here asking whom you all would like Hikari to end up with in the series (it's currently on my profile.) Purely for fun, as I have decided who her beau is, I encourage you to take it---the results are moderately predictable, though on Quizilla someone actually did choose Oogie Boogie O.o Anyway, it includes Kingdom Hearts and Naruto boys, and on this site you can choose up to three, if my memory doesn't fail me. Have fun!

**Thanks for reading everybody, God bless :D!** I'll try getting out chapter eleven as soon as possible (though I've actually got to finish that and twelve, first; I broke my rule again by posting before the next is complete XD I felt guilty 'cause part of the reason why it's late is that I got a PSP for Christmas and I played video games my entire Winter Break; no writing got done. Hehe ^^')


	11. Breaking Through

Recappy From the Last Chappy: The man stared forward soullessly with unusual eyes. Around grey irises, his sclera was marked with many ripples. Above those eyes was a shinobi hitaiate with a scratch across four lines; he was one formerly of the Rain Village. Black hoop earrings ran up along the lobes and tops of either ear; plugs pierced horizontally through his nose; and two pikes also pierced through his bottom lip. He wore a black robe with a wide, high collar and artistic red clouds. Bright, spiky orange hair rested on his head.

He was unfazed by Hades' statement. "Taking this path will lead to great pain, and great suffering . . . proceed."

**Chapter Eleven: Breaking Through**

Days had gone by since the group had departed from the Olympus Coliseum, and Hikari's drawback had passed. For their successful efforts in combating Cerberus, the boys had achieved "Junior Hero" status; apparently, they did not understand what it took to be a "true hero," and consequently could not be dubbed so. They did not let that get them down, though, and were still all smiles in the Gummi.

Hikari sat upright within the Gummi, tabulating her remaining kunai, senbon, shurikon, and other items that she would store in her pouch and holster. They were separated into piles, depending on what they were, and kunai that were too dulled to be of use were set aside separately. She would summon more to be held in the pouch through a scroll in a drawer by the bunk.

She picked up one of the kunai and eyed it closely, checking for wear, tear, or rust. After expelling warm breath onto it, she used the sheet to clean it, and checked again. There were a few small scratches, but for the most part, all she saw was her eyes, brow, and bangs. Satisfied with it, she set it with the pile of useable kunai. As she did so, her eyes fell on her right wrist where a new accessory was present alongside her bracelet of summon gems.

_Sora entered the infirmary, grinning widely enough to exhibit nearly each of his pearly whites. He appeared to be absolutely victorious, wearing a brighter expression than she had seen even in Disney Castle. Sitting up in the bed, she turned her head a little and watched as he bounced toward her side; Donald and Goofy lagged not too far behind. Cloud had left not long prior._

"_Hiki! We did it—we beat Cerberus!" he jeered, coming up on her side. Putting his hands on his knees, he leveled his face with hers and asked, "Are you okay? We saw Cloud carry you out."_

_She lifted her head a little, looking him in the eye. Those bright blues—though of a slightly different shade—reminded her of Naruto then; she flinched a little in response, but responded lightly, "I'll live." She turned her head and looked away._

_He beamed brightly and teased, "Hee hee. Looks like I'm stronger than you now."_

_Her yellow eyes glanced toward him. "No, I wouldn't say that. I wore down Cerberus, and you had help afterwards. I'd call it a . . . fluke, at best."_

_He frowned. It was more than that; he had beaten the dog when she could not. Pouting, he muttered, "It wasn't a fluke . . . !"_

_Hikari pretended that she had not heard him. She spoke a little louder, intending not to sound condescending, but to make sure he heard her. "On the other hand—," he perked up a little; she looked at him, "—the tournament . . . that was not a fluke, was it? Up until Not-Naruto . . . hn . . . not bad."_

_Tickled pink, the brunette smiled once again, feeling warmth in his heart. "Oh!" From his pocket, he procured something small enough to be shielded from her view as he took her wrist; the movement made her wince. "This was left behind when we defeated him. It looks like Brave Warrior, which I don't think I could've done the tournament without." He slipped an Inferno Band on her wrist; it was much like Brave Warrior, being simple, but had a rose tinge to it. "Since you were totally owned by Cerberus, I thought it might help you in your recovery—and in future battles."_

_The yellow-eyed girl continued looking at the Inferno Band on her wrist as he let her hand rest in her lap._

"Um . . . Hiki?"

The girl glanced up from her wrist, wearing a small smile as a result of the reverie. Sora was standing in the doorway and rubbing the back of his head, seemingly discomforted by something. Realizing that she had been staring into space and that she wore a sweet grin, she looked back down at her weaponry and began putting good kunai into the pouch.

"What is it? Donald get us lost?"

The brunette shook his head. Truthfully, he did not know whether or not they were on course; the duck had been insistent that he was not lost, but they had well surpassed their Estimated Time of Arrival. That was not his reason for coming to her, however.

"Then what?" She paused. "If you're having boy issues, I might be the only other human on this Gummi, but I'm not exactly familiar with them."

A furious suffusion colored his cheeks and his shoulders tensed with embarrassment. He clenched his fists. "_NO,_ it's not anything like _that!_" He uncurled his hands and averted his eyes, blushing still. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his head. "Howwww . . . are you?"

The final shurikon to be holstered remained in her hand, a momentary hesitation before she put it in its place. Angling her head in inquiry, she commented, "I'm confused. I've been able to move for a couple days. Why would you ask me that?"

"Well, Jiminy told us what you said to Cloud, and . . . y'know, we thought maybe. . . ." He trailed off, losing his train of thought. Turning his head toward her, he placed his hand on his chest and said, "You know, if something's bothering you, ever, you don't have to go through it alone." He shook his head. "I. . . . We're here for you."

There. That should have done the trick. His words were sincere, completely truthful and from his heart; however, he had also hoped that saying them would touch her heart and aide him in his small side-mission to make her feel more like part of the group.

Her expressionless countenance did not waver; the membrane to Hikari's "heart" was untouched. "Nice sentiments. Not necessary, though. Truthfully, I find it strange that you'd even ask, since I'd obviously already talked to someone, according to your source. What do you care, anyway?" She set aside her pouch and began holstering shurikon.

He was visibly taken aback; shock and awe was written all over his face. Forget that she was unfazed—there was a prominent aching in his chest, bitten by her query. The loss for words was plain, but fleeting. "I. . . . Wh . . . what? We're—what do you mean? C'mon, Hiki! Stop kidding around!"

"I can't stop what I haven't started, can I? It's impossible. I really don't understand; why you care enough about me, that is, to say that." She looked down; the clip on her holster did not wish to close. "You seem to care about me too much, under the circumstances."

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was hurt; he stared at her with an open mouth and furrowed brow. Fury mixed with that expression, both from the harsh and rather nasty expressions she used as well as his confusion as to wherefore she was acting so. He clicked his tongue. "Because we're _FRIENDS!_"

A tear in the membrane was made; her hands immediately stopped moving. More earnestly, and almost melancholy as compared to her previous speech, she said, "Sora—that's where you're wrong. We're not friends. I don't _have_ friends." She paused and looked down, her lips, pursing minutely. "I—_can't_—have friends. . . ."

Sora clenched his jaw and turned his hands to fists. He was blinking wide eyes rapidly, stepping back. With more conviction, he said, "Well, if that's how you feel—!"

"It is what I know. We're just allies, on the same side. Not—friends."

He clicked his tongue and snapped, "—Fine! Then we aren't!—," before he about-faced and left. His teeth grit against one another as his chest seemed to ache twice-fold, more than it should have. There was a crack, but it did not feel like it was his heart. A breaching of some sort, a feeling that was not his, it stayed with him anyway. _His_ feelings of anger brushed those_ intruding_ aside.

The girl's eyes remained lowered during his exit, glancing to the side without moving her head. She pinched her fingers and finally fixed the clip of her holster. Silently, she began strapping it to her thigh. _Those without hearts can't make such relations, isn't that right? And I'd never made friends even when I had one._ "But he. . . ."

Akamaru trotted into the room and jumped onto the bed, climbing onto her lap. As if trying to comfort her, he set his front paws on her chest and began to bathe her face affectionately. She lifted her head and held his side to clear her face from the assault. Her eyes were shut, but there was a small, almost-smile on her face.

"Hn. And you . . . no matter what I say, or what I do . . . hmph. Dumb dog." Gently she moved him so her face was out of his reach. The affection was mutual as she scratched behind both of his ears and he reached his tongue to lick the inside of her forearm. "You have to know about my lack of heart, there's just no way you don't. . . . Animals sense that kind of thing. But for three years, you've stuck by me. I don't know why, and I guess it doesn't matter, isn't that right?"

The bridge of her nose touched his, cold and wet. Once he licked the tip of hers. "You've stuck by me for three years, and I've stuck by you. He doesn't know. I haven't gone out of my way to act nice to him that I recall. . . . True, since I've met him the reappearances of my emotions are more common, but does that mean there's a connection? I dunno, boy." She straightened and wiped her face, clearing it of slobber, but kept the other scratching behind his ear.

The Gummi slowed to an abrupt halt. Hikari lowered her arm and looked toward the cockpit. "There now? Guess I should take the wheel for the landing. Come on boy."

Akamaru followed her into the cockpit area where Donald sat in the pilot's seat holding onto the steers. Goofy sat in his seat, watching Sora and the duck bicker over the seat's back. The Keybearer was standing behind the pilot's seat, regarding the flora-heavy world before them.

"Riku and Kairi might be down there," he said, looking at the duck. Despite stalking from a conversation he had been rather upset about, he seemed to have somewhat calmed; an assumption Hikari would soon see was false as he said more strongly, "Let's just check it out."

"Forget it!" Donald replied sharply. "We're on an important mission!"

"Just land!" Sora's fist hit the top of the chair.

"No!"

"Come on!"

"Aw, phooey!"

Donald began to steer away from Deep Jungle. Goofy and Hikari were silently watching the quarrel, the former with concern whereas the latter was in speculation. The mission they were on was important, which was true; from what she understood, the grounds were a smidgen vague at the moment: combat the Heartless, stick with the Key.

The yellow-eyed teen took a step forward. "We shouldn't have navigation information for anywhere else; this is the best place to stop. Who knows what's lurking in that jungle? The King wouldn't think it beneath him to check it out—"

"We're landing!" Impatiently, the brunette lunged for the steers, knocking them in the direction opposite of where the duck had directed, causing the Gummi to violently lurch. Hikari braced herself against what normally was Sora's chair while Akamaru slid across the floor; Sora was also holding onto Donald's chair, whereas the occupant and Goofy simply grabbed their armrests with wide eyes.

Holding either side of his head, where feathers were ruffled to appear mangled, the duck yelled, "Don't touch that! _**Nooo!**_"

Sora and Donald continued to bicker over the controls, the former having more advantage with them actually being in his hands, and the Gummi was making a rocky turn toward Deep Jungle. In their war of elbows, pushing, and shoving, Sora pushed a button, and with a grand twirl, the Gummi barreled in an ungracious descent toward the treetops.

**

* * *

**

Overlooking Elephant Falls was a high, grey promontory consisting of almost full rock. Two black-furred gorillas sat there just outside lush, chartreuse foliage. One gorilla held the fist and arm of the other, appearing to take great amusement in forcing it to punch itself repeatedly. The latter seemed to take no action against this, made silly by the repetitive motion.

Their amused grunts were joined by the occasional trumpet of the rust-hided elephants conversing with one another casually. Some of the younger ones seemed to be playing with younger animals of different, non-carnivorous species.

A feral feline's snarl broke jungle foliage, scaring a flock of birds into the sky. The canopy and leaves rustled with sound and movement. Although the wildcat's growls, grumbles, snarls, and yowls were more preeminent, a deep, almost gruff adolescent male voice grunted, growled, and gasped. Sometimes, that voice copied an animalistic language in reply.

The figure of a fifteen-year-old boy dashed back from the trees, sliding onto the lake's surface. His stance was rather bestial for a human; on all fours, forearms crossed in front, he was crouched low toward the water's surface.

Jumping from the cover after him was a fully grown black panther, snarling with its chops pulled back from its sharp, white fangs. It stalked by the water's edge, meeting the boy's scrutiny with slit green eyes. The boy also followed its movements. In a language not human, he said, _"I'm not gonna be anyone's snack today. Beat it!"_

The panther flicked its tail and snarled, crouching a little.

The boy hunkered lower, stretching his arms out wide. _"Alright, you asked for it!"_ he muttered with a smirk and sprang forward, spinning in an extremely quick fashion. A long, grey blur, he rotated toward the panther and connected, bringing the feline from its feet and tearing into its flesh with his claws.

The gorillas on the ledge now watched in awe and anticipation, seeming to cheer in favor of the human like he was familiar to them; at the same time, they seemed wary of his strange fighting techniques. The elephants had scampered away through a pass sided with rock cliffs the moment the panther had appeared, trumpeting in fear.

The panther's snarls, cries, and whines were shrill as the boy redirected his attack a few times, managing to turn and strike it multiple times. When Piercing Fang was complete, he rebounded to the water's surface, almost immediately rushing forward to claw the panther once more. The panther was hit and swept its own claws at him in retaliation, but the brunette narrowly dodged.

Backing away from its intended prey, the carnivore hissed at him, carmine liquid streaming along its black-furred flanks. Before it could be attacked once more, it retreated between two trees and through their canopy of leaves.

Behind him, the boy heard a loud splash, bringing him to swivel and jump back a little. Wildly, his slit pupils searched the area surrounding him, and his nose twitched in search of a scent. Most of the whiffs were familiar ones, belonging to animals native to the land and several scent markings—some belonging to other males, some his own—on arbitrary trees. Another was less so.

When he looked at the water's surface again, two hands were breaking through the membrane, laying their palms flat as if using it to manipulate a placement of mass. Shortly, a female torso emerged with pallid skin and wet, darker-than-black hair that draped over the front of her face. Dripping wet, she brought up her leg on top of the water and pushed, standing upright. Like him, she stood atop the water as if it were earth.

Preparing to fight, he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart and rocked back and forth, hunched just a little. His nose wrinkled from a potent stench resembling the darkness of a Pureblood Heartless, but it was a little fainter and a smidgen different—yet not too different. This made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

It was an instinct he would trust.

The boy charged toward Hikari as she parted her bangs, revealing to him "heartless" eyes. When she realized that he was coming toward her, she quickly dashed back, dodging his attempt to claw across her stomach; she did the same when he continued with a barrage of them. _What's with this guy?_

In the bombardment of clawing, he suddenly flipped forward and then kicked from the water's surface, catching her off-guard. Before her arms could be positioned to defend accordingly, the boy head-butted her stomach, and she released a grunt before being launched into the air.

He came around behind her and lifted both of his legs, poising to kick her back. Prior to what seemed to be the inevitable occurrence, Hikari stretched back her arms and grabbed him by the front of his fishnet muscle shirt. While she threw him over her, she arched into a ball, ensuring that he would simply sail over her back. As soon as he was clear, she straightened and twisted, throwing him toward the rocky wall.

A gruff sound and the smarting expression on his tanned face told her that he had collided strongly. He appeared to be around her age, fitting in this setting as he was almost uncultivated in countenance. Mostly what she noted, for the brief time in which he was falling back to the water, were untamed, spiky brunette locks and red, fang-like markings painted over most of his cheeks. His canines were defined, and his nails were in fact more like claws.

Hikari glanced at her wrist decorated by accessories. The summon gems sparkled in the jungle daylight, and Inferno Band glinted delicately. Briefly, she dared to consider using the gems; perhaps not the one marked with "Guts," as it had brought along with it some terrible side-effects, but the one marked with the Branch Hyuuga's Curse had not harmed her thus far, even when she had tested it whilst idle inside the Gummi.

Well, aside from the fact that she would suffer a migraine if it was activated too long, that is. _I'll save it for a bit, and only if necessary._

They both ran towards one another; the boy appeared to have crossed more water when they clashed again. She ducked beneath his claws and brought up the base of her palm to connect beneath his chin, forcing his head back. She swiveled and brought up her leg to kick his chest, but he grabbed around her ankle with both arms and lifted her off her feet.

Carefully, as they were still on top of water, he sunk to lie on his back and kept her above him. Smirking at her surprised expression, he curled up to bring his legs just under her and kicked her with great force in both feet at her stomach; the impact was dually significant for he had chakra concentrated to the soles of his feet still from when he had been standing on water.

The kunoichi was kicked into the air as she winced and coughed up blood. The carmine liquid trailed from her lips, and seemed to bring the boy some satisfaction; his smirk bared his canines as he crouched with his forearms crossed in front of one another. She noticed that he had sharp eyes with mere slits for iris and pupil in either one, furthering his bestiality.

_Eyes._ Quickly she formed the supplementary seal and touched the Byakugan gem, summoning its power. Her irises paled to lavender-white as her pupils glazed over. Veins puffed around her eyes as total sureness for the power she was to wield filled her.

_Piercing Fang!_ The boy sprang up and began spinning rapidly like he had versus the panther some time before. The long, grey blur headed toward Hikari, uncovering a bone buried in her memory. Not allowing that to distract her, however, she leaned forward and released chakra from every pore on her body. When the boy's assault nearly struck, she spun similarly to a ballerina, and that chakra manifested into a spherical shield surrounding her.

The brunette's Piercing Fang was diverted and ceased, for some of his chakra points had been afflicted. The sclera around his eyes had become even more evident in his shock as he stared at her in open-mouthed surprise.

Hikari stopped spinning and descended toward the ground, landing on solid earth that was the pass between the rocky cliffs. She watched with the byakugan eyes as he back-flopped into the water. Taking a moment, she combed through her bang, feeling that her still dampened hair was getting ready to flop over the entire right side of her face; next, she took up the stance which felt natural to her solely due to the certainty passed on by the stone.

The boy with fangs' head resurfaced before long; dripping wet, he shook out his hair like a sodden dog. The eyes he looked at her with were the same, only different; still they were sharp and animalistic, but there was a different emotion behind them.

Standing idly, Hikari watched him as he practically dog-paddled over, for some reason not being able to take those astonished eyes off her. The look he was giving her significantly resembled recognition, but it was clouded in ambiguity; even so, nearly all of that was eclipsed with an unmistakable hope.

Hikari's stance softened, though she found the expression quite odd. There was no way he could recognize her—he did not know her in this façade, nobody did. That look was definitely being misplaced. . . .

He continued looking at her that way even as he climbed out of the lake, standing a few feet in front of her. His eyes expressed even more uncertainty; however, one could see the scarlet tint in his tanned face. Continuing forward despite her raised guard, he swallowed and stared.

The countenance conjured in his mind had become more vague with the time that had passed since he had last seen it truthfully. He tried comparing it to the girl before him. Dark hair, and light eyes; these were the characteristics unquestionably shared; though he thought the hair was supposed to have a little pigment in it instead of being completely dark, and he at once would have sworn that her eyes should not have been _yellow—_of all colors! But the bloodline expressed otherwise. . . .

"You're starting to creep me out, Kiba," she said. "Speak already, will ya?"

Bearing an ever-present fanged grin, caution was thrown to the wind and he took her by surprise when he tackled her in an abrupt, messy embrace. "Hinata! No way—I can't believe it's you! _Yahoo!_ I finally found you!"

"Oof!" The yellow-eyed teen's byakugan deactivated itself as she took a few steps back, hardly able to keep her ground as he squeezed her tightly. Had she even the desire to, she would not have been able to return the embrace for her hands were squished against his chest.

She could feel the dangerous proximity of his claws on her back and arms; also as they receded to normal, human fingernails. Any other change to come of him as he stopped his Four-Legged Technique, she could not see since he held her in such away that she was looking straight past him.

Eyes widened and her mouth in a straight line, she pushed Kiba and held him away at arm's length by his shoulders. His features were more civil now—for instance his hair, though hardly kempt, became a bit tamer, and his "fangs" became simply pronounced canines. Arms still feeling the warmth of his embrace, she looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm not Hinata. I don't know if she's okay. I've only run into a few people from our world, and she wasn't one of them."

Her words held no warmth; they were clear, concise, and cold, sending a chill down Kiba's spine. A breeze hitting his wet skin amplified that cold. His disappointment was made plain by the dumbstruck expression on his fang-marked face. Closing her mouth, Hikari lowered her hands from his shoulders to her sides, softening her expression a smidgen.

Kiba's face burned scarlet as he looked away, trying to conceal his shame in making the mistake. When he spoke, it was with a wry smile. "I see. . . . So, how do you know my name? I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like when a human said it."

As if it were obvious, she stated, "I know you. And I have to say, I'm for some reason not surprised that you ended up in a place like this after the ninja world was destroyed. It's quite suiting, don'tcha think?"

He snorted. "I meant 'who are you'?"

"My name's Hikari. Hikari Uzumaki. . . . Most people call me 'Hiki,' nowadays." With a light note of sarcasm, she added, "Thanks for the nickname, by the way. I hated people calling me that even before I found out what a 'hickie' was."

He cracked a grin of mischief, recognizing the event, but his gaze was diverted to the trees. His brow furrowed in thought as he sifted through remembrance. Many years back his mind tried to recollect, farther than the three years; he knew her better, after all, from when they were in the advent years of the Academy. The image of himself, Akamaru, Naruto, and two other boys hopping out of the classroom window to play hooky was clear as day to him, but the girl following for some reason was very vague. . . .

Crossing his arms and tilting his head, he walked toward her, bringing his face very close to hers. Hikari straightened and tilted back a little on her heels, finding the distance between them too minuscule; he was definitely breaching the boundary most civil people respected. She faltered, letting one foot step back to keep her balance.

Getting a closer look at the shape of her face shed some light, and he could see a black-haired, yellow-eyed girl; even so, he could not shake off the feeling that it was not a hundred percent veritable. In his heart he began to trust that she was who she said, but something still did not feel quite right.

Backing up a little, he uncrossed his arms and scratched the back of his head. "You'd think I'd remember what an old friend looked like, huh? Especially one with eyes like yours. . . . You lose your heart or something?" He laughed.

She straightened and stood normally. Since he was laughing, she assumed that the comment about her heart was a joke; that was not the part that had caught her attention. _"Old friend" . . . ? He thought of me as a friend? _"You're not the only one that forgot; Sakura didn't recognize me right away, either. I just have one of those forgetful faces, I guess." She shrugged a shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so. . . . Wait a minute—," he wore a quizzical expression, "—if you're not Hinata or a Hyuuga, how come you can use the byakugan?"

Lifting her arm, she let him see the gems dangling from her wrist. "Summon gems. I don't know much about them, but they let me borrow someone else's power if I mingle my chakra with theirs inside—not without drawbacks, though." She lowered her arm. "The Cheshire Cat didn't tell me much besides that."

"Uh-huh. . . ." Kiba seemed to accept that answer and scratched his scalp once more; from it he pulled a small tick. He eyed it like a child did broccoli; at the same time, he seemed a little disappointed, as well. _Ticks taste funny._ Without a second thought, he flicked it away.

"Have you seen Naruto?"

He shook his head. "Nobody. The only humans here are the people that came to study the gorillas and Tarzan—they're natives to this world."

"Mm." She turned away from him. "Sora crashed our Gummi, so I have some allies scattered around here. I should find them."

Kiba nodded. "Hey, wait—if Tarzan found any of them, he'd take them back to the Porters'. He was raised in this jungle, and sometimes wanders, so the chance's pretty high. I'll take you there; maybe you'll meet up with someone."

"I see. Maybe."

He grinned and led her into the jungle's undergrowth. She followed sans hesitation.

Something within her chest stirred as she watched Kiba's back, but did not bother to check for a heartbeat—these stirrings were occurring so often that she knew for a fact nothing would be there. She had come to a realization that she had ignored until now.

Kiba was Akamaru's true owner; a best friend, a comrade, a companion _with a heart_ that contained fond memories of them together from when the boy was but a child, and the dog a pup. Hikari, on the other hand, was simply present when no one else had been; a heartless girl that presented back-handed or wry affection—if any. It was no different than Sora's apparent attachment to her because she was the first face after his world had been dilapidated; to Akamaru, she was the sole "familiar" face.

The moment Akamaru found Kiba, or Kiba found Akamaru, she would lose him. The companion to whom she could not whole-heartedly be kind, who had stuck by her despite that she was without a heart, despite that she called him "dumb" or teased him. The stirring was diminutive, but authentic, something like a _feeling._ It was like she was feeling . . . bereft.

Her gaze averted from Kiba's figure, looking along the jungle floor for a small ball of white fur. _Where did you end up?_

**

* * *

**

Four late-adolescence figures dashed through the undergrowth of Deep Jungle, kicking off the branches of trees and sailing over the floor. Sometimes they would encounter vines, but were not hindered by them; the tendril-laden ropes simply brushed aside for them when coming in contact.

One of them took roost on a branch, crouching with one of his six arms bracing against that branch, as well. The three other figures followed suit; one with what appeared to be a second person's head of silver hair protruding from the head of his spine stood on a higher branch; a female with long, reddish pink hair and a heavyset male stood on a branch near the first.

"What would anybody be doing in a backwater place like this?" remarked the many-limbed one with a sneer. Before them, in an opening of the trees, one could see a waterfall pour into a peaceful lake. "The Heartless don't even bother."

Above him, the silver-haired boy snorted as his green-painted lips curled to flash white teeth. He stood casually with his arms crossed. "We should just annihilate it—stir up some trouble in this pathetic place."

He twisted his neck to regard him. "Calm down Sakon."

The portly one spoke up. "We didn't come here for the world."

Next to him, the girl stood with one hand on her hip and the other resting against the trunk of the tree. "Shut up, fatso. No one asked you."

"I said calm down, Tayuya," spoke the first as he twisted to look at her. "You _do_ remember our mission, don't you?"

Tayuya narrowed her eyes at him. "Tch."

The dark-skinned, many-limbed shinobi looked forward again. Some of the sun's rays broke through the leaves and glinted off of the hitaiate across his forehead decorated with a musical eighth note. "We've got a special guest to escort. By force, if necessary." Once more, he looked back toward them over his shoulder. "Either way, we've got to bring her back _alive._"

The other three did not respond. Taking it as concession, the Sound nin proceeded forward once more, shortly followed by his cohorts.

**End of Chapter Eleven**

Next Time in When Darkness turns to Light!! Chapter Twelve: Born to Be Wild

She had the voice and the face of an angel. Cool, peaceful and innocent blue eyes regarded him, shaded partly by bangs colored the same vibrant red as roses. Her hair was short, presenting her youth, and light blooms on her cheeks made her face glow pink. As one hand balanced her on the branch against the trunk, the other was held in front of her mouth.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so . . . _naked_ before . . . ," she remarked, discomfited.

* * *

I'm so sorry for the lateness! My computer was (and sort of still is) having problems. For now, I've been able to work around them and since I've got all of my files on a USB now I should be able to use any computer if not my own. (Now all I have to do is make sure I don't lose the USB XD)

I had a lot of trouble with this chapter; both because of the part with Kiba, and the end XD I must've rewritten the Kiba part five times! At first, it was rushed, then he wasn't impulsive enough; then I decided they needed to have a little sparring session and I struggled with that before I took a look at Narutopedia and learned what his fighting style was (then had to figure out what the heck capoeira was XD) THEN, when I was STILL having trouble . . . I remembered that I have like, all the North America-released Naruto: Ultimate Ninja games *sweat drop* Anyway, voila! Good in the end, ne?

Oh, and I don't doubt most of you captured some possible canon-couple allusions. . . . Well, I'd decided I wanted a little more romance in this story and kept meaning to ask for requests (or suggestions, rather, as under the circumstances some won't be possible) of couplings—mostly fluff if I do them—that can either be NarutoXNaruto, KHXKH, or KHXNaruto (:P If possible!) Soooo tell me, if you'd like! No poll for this one, if ya want it, tell me in a review or message me :D!

So when you review, feel free to say whatever about the chapter, what you liked and disliked and you can tell me about couplings—as previously stated. Also, if you have any theories on certain things that I don't want to directly state here, or things you've been wondering about, you can state or ask :D Of course, I most likely won't give a nod or shake, but it's good for me as an author to know if I'm presenting as much information as I think XD Or if I'm being too obvious. . . .

'Til next time, au revoir! God bless!


	12. Born to Be Wild

Note: In this chapter, there will be a part where Sora is pulled into a memory, and italics are mixed with non-italics. Italics are the memory itself whereas the unitalicized parts are current Sora and the mystery girl. Hopefully, this will make some more sense upon reading. . . .

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "I said calm down, Tayuya," spoke the first as he twisted to look at her. "You _do_ remember our mission, don't you?"

Tayuya narrowed her eyes at him. "Tch."

The dark-skinned, many-limbed shinobi looked forward again. Some of the sun's rays broke through the leaves and glinted off of the hitaiate across his forehead decorated with a musical eighth note. "We've got a special guest to escort. By force, if necessary." Once more, he looked back toward them over his shoulder. "Either way, we've got to bring her back _alive._"

The other three did not respond. Taking it as concession, the Sound nin proceeded forward once more, shortly followed by his cohorts.

**Chapter Twelve: Born to Be Wild**

A young lady with big green eyes and smaller facial features surrounding them sat on a large root near the base of a tree. Her chestnut brown locks had been pulled back in a messy bun, leaving some free to frame her face and cover the brow above purple eyelids. She used her knees to prop up her sketchpad, on which she used a stick of charcoal to draw the bird resting on a branch before her.

Her appearance contrasted greatly with the nature around her. Dressed in a yellow cotton blouse with puffed short sleeves and a dull green wrap for a skirt, she was casual for society; however, especially coupled with grey stockings and black shoes sporting a bit of a heel, she was still quite proper for being in the jungle.

She had a light, vague outline of the macaw and wore a satisfied smile across thin, red lips. Glancing up at it momentarily, she took the charcoal and began darkening detail, softening the look of the feathers. The woman smiled gently.

Rustles in the jungle shrubs frightened the bird into flying away and turned the woman rigid. She scrunched up almost entirely into a ball and shrugged her shoulders, drew her knees up more, and tightened her grip on the sketchpad, not seeming to realize that she was wrinkling the pages. "Oh, dear . . . oh dear oh dear oh dear," she muttered uneasily in a noticeably British accent. Wincing with worry, she looked around. "What was that?"

More rustling from behind her drew her to vault from the root and turn toward the aggressive shrubbery. She hugged her sketchpad to her now, staring wide like a deer. Nearly whining, the woman whispered to herself, "Oh, really smart, Jane—go into the jungle by yourself. . . . Now you're going to be eaten by some _wild animal. . . ._"

The leaves suddenly stilled; a brief reticence proceeded. Jane had her mouth open, ready to scream, but instead swept her eyes across the area with caution. Slowly, wary still of company, she took a step back. She cleared her throat. "Um, hello . . . ? Is, is there anybody there . . . ?"

She was not met with an immediate response.

Relaxing a smidgen, she lowered her shoulders and straightened, releasing a sigh. "I'm sure I didn't imagine it. . . ." Uncertain of her safety, the brunette turned around and slowly proceeded departing, watching over her shoulder. When she turned her stare forward, she wondered briefly about that bird; she had gotten so close to finishing. . . .

The bushes made that foreboding noise once more, clutching her attention again. She swiveled as her muscles tightened and she squeezed her sketchbook tightly. From the bushes came a flash of white, something small and fast coming straight for her. Screaming bloody murder, Jane shut her eyes and flinched, tripping backwards. Her arms released her sketchbook; she tried to break her fall. A weight distributed on four points on her chest.

"Oh no . . . oh no no no! I'm gonna _die!_"

Jane braced herself for the mauling she had been sure would ensue, but it never did. As her screams died, the void of silence was filled only with the fluttering of falling pages from the sketchpad and a panting; she could feel that hot breath on her face, worsening her anxiety. Trembling, she opened an eye.

It was not a panther.

It was not a jaguar.

It was not any sort of wild animal one would expect in the jungle.

It was a small, white, _domestic_ dog.

**

* * *

**

After what seemed like a solid hour of trekking through the treetops of Deep Jungle, Kiba led Hikari through a thicket of bamboo into a clearing where someone—or some ones—had set up camp. Bamboo surrounded the area, as well as moss and other green foliage; within, however, was a single beige tent, a clothesline, an awning to protect dressers and bureaus, a round table set up like a tea party with a tall grandfather clock overlooking, a pile of cargo in the center next to a flagpole brandishing the British flag, a stove, more cargo flanking either side of the tent (topped with a globe on one side,) and a large wooden table containing lab equipment Hikari could not pretend to know the titles of.

She looked around in mild interest; it seemed odd that there was even this rough touch of civilization this deep in the jungle. Furthermore, she could see that the temporary residents were people of science. The sole scientist she had met face-to-face with must have been. . . .

Her eyes narrowed diminutively as she straightened. Technically-speaking, it would have been a man whose appearance her body alluded to; one whose yellow eyes and snaky countenance had tainted and frosted her heart. She looked down and reached to touch her face just below her left eye; his had been cold and heartless—one could not doubt the ruthless soul expressed in them.

But when she was young—a child bearing a heavy heart with tears sparkling in narrowed, bright eyes—she had been ignorant of that particular caliber of malevolence. It was similar to Eve being duped by Satan in the guise of a snake. Absently, her hand went to her chest; like Eve, she had also suffered consequences.

As Kiba led Hikari further into the camp, more of the lab station on the other side of the cargo pile was visible. A short, balding old man with knobby knees and bony limbs held some tongs carrying a heated, transparent solution. He was carefully pouring the tube's content into a pot in the center; steam rose from the yellowing concoction.

The old man was singing the British national anthem proudly through two tufts of white mustache that danced each time he moved his mouth and sang long notes. He had a large nose and three patches of white hair over both his ears and at the top of his head. Weathering around kind blue eyes displayed his age openly and his stomach sagged in a sort of potbelly under a crisp light yellow, short-sleeved shirt with a blue bowtie. Wearing his seniority on his sleeve apparently for all to see, he also wore high-waisted orange shorts.

Kiba cracked a smirk as the old man began to shake in a silly manner, somehow able to move his hips without breaking them. He walked toward the lab table and voiced, "Yo, Archie!"

"_God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save the Quee_—oh, heavens!" The old man—startled so greatly one would expect a heart attack—jumped and released the tongs, incidentally dropping the test tube. He flinched away as the glass tube clanked against other instruments, breaking a few of them, and tried not to watch as the tube itself shattered on the ground. When he opened an eye and lowered his leg, he said, "Oh my. I do believe those were all the spares. . . ."

Despite that he had broken a bunch of his own equipment—due to Kiba's catching him off guard, no less—he remained pleasant and smiled when he turned his gaze toward them. "Kiba, my good chap—oh, hehe, who's your friend?" Upon realizing Hikari's presence, his eyes had brightened with wonder and he came a little closer. "Another resident of the jungle, is she?—Your 'mate,' I presume?" He smiled knowingly.

The brunette glanced back at Hikari; both were unimpressed by the comment. "Nah, she's a friend from childhood." There was a minute shadow of disappointment in his eyes as he replied, "I'm still lookin' for my girl. 'Sides, Hiki doesn't live here."

The old man's bushy white eyebrows rose. "'Hickie'—good lord."

She stepped forward and spoke up. "My true name is Hikari Uzumaki—call me by that name. It's the one I prefer." She regarded the sky. "We crashed here—my allies and I. Our . . . ship should be somewhere in the jungle."

"Ah, yes, I see." Smiling and holding a hand out toward her, he introduced himself properly. "Professor Archimedes Q. Porter—but 'Professor' is fine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hikari."

She nodded and shook his hand. "Kiba said someone named 'Tarzan' might've run into my associates and brought them here. There's a loud duck, a human-ish dog, a boy who carries a large key. . . ." As she let go of the Professor's hand, she glanced back at Kiba; she was tentative to describe Akamaru. ". . . and . . . a cricket with a top hat." She looked down, away from both of them.

The Professor narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, gazing up as one hand held his temple and the other held his hip. "Hmm . . . peculiar descriptions—indubitably if I'd seen them, I'd remember." He looked at her apologetically. "I can't say I've met them. Tarzan hasn't been by today."

"Mm. Is that right?"

"Why, yes. Rather atypical, actually—normally he'll have come to visit Jane. . . ." He pondered this for a moment and then shrugged. "Ah, oh well. He's probably found her sketching in the jungle." His smile was a little suggestive, but in jest. "If that's the case, it may be awhile."

Jane entered the camp, hugging her sketchbook to her chest close enough that the pages that had been torn loose did not fall as she walked. With one hand, she was absently brushing some dirt from the green wrap. Boy and man were conversing when Hikari happened to glance in that direction. She looked at Jane, took in her appearance, but did not find anything noteworthy until she looked at her feet.

_Akamaru. . . ._ She turned toward him and Jane, looking with slightly widened eyes. Taking a step toward them, she hesitated, glancing at Kiba. ". . . ." Barking drew her, the Professor's, and Kiba's attention, bringing their eyes in Jane's direction once more. She was looking down at Akamaru.

"Oh, do you know her, doggie?" She smiled up at them as he ran ahead of her, wagging his tail in ecstasy. "He gave me quite a fright in the jungle; came at me out of _nowhere—_"

"—!? Huh? Hey, little guy. You. . . ." When Akamaru had come within a few feet of Kiba, he had leaped in into the brunette's arms; he was caught by his chest, just by his front legs. At first, he had regarded the —so he thought—unfamiliar dog with wonder, but kindness; dogs such as this were normally domestic, so it was strange to see one in the jungle. Then, he had caught the dog's scent. Twitching his nose as he took in that scent, his eyes widened considerably. "Oh my God! Akamaru—is that you?"

The dog barked in reply and wagged his tail violently, affirming the inquiry. Kiba's awed expression of disbelief quickly broke into a wide, open-mouthed grin. Happily exclaiming, he squeezed Akamaru tightly; Akamaru returned the affection by licking his face. "It is you, right? Not just any other white pup? Heh! You didn't grow a bit!"

A shadow darkened Hikari's eyes as she glanced over at them with a stoic expression. Knowing that she should in actuality be unfazed, she lifted her chin to refrain from looking down. Devoid of emotion, she lightly said, "Of course, I didn't mention him; a 'white dog.' Stupid me." Kiba looked at her. "Akamaru ended up in the same place as me after our home was ruined. . . . Mm."

Kiba softened his hold—as he realized he very well may have been squeezing the life out of Akamaru—and stared at her for a moment in suspicion. He remembered some things about this girl; some things he would venture to assume applied currently. Hikari was not the type to be terrible of memory—short-term especially. However, she was the type to act detached. . . .

In short, he did not question that she and Akamaru had been together for three years; but he was skeptical that she, for some reason, lied about forgetting to include Akamaru.

Their gazes met over Akamaru; one stoic, the other dubious. Then, the latter changed his expression to a smile as he lifted Akamaru, turned him, and set him in his rightful place atop his head. He grinned, glancing up; he had missed the extra weight.

Akamaru nuzzled his scalp. Deciding that the fact she had accompanied him over the passed three years was more important than his suspicion, Kiba looked at her with gratitude. "Well, thanks. I'm sure you had his back as much as he had yours."

She nodded. "Yeah. . . . We did." Her hand lifted from her side momentarily, moving to reach up and scratch behind Akamaru's ear, but she stopped and looked away, letting her hand touch her stomach. She must have been bruised there from Kiba's kick; all of a sudden, it had begun to hurt.

**

* * *

**

The wind rushing past his face did not cool his enkindled visage in the slightest, simply feeling like a minor blast of winter frost contrasting with hellish heat. Stating it as feverish would be putting it lightly; withal, he was in fact not sick or with a fever at all. It was mortification that colored his face like a tomato.

His yellow tennis shoes no longer protected his feet; on them he wore solely a sock where his big toe poked out. The hooded, short-sleeved shirt he would wear was gone. Due to animal attacks and tree branches, his jumpsuit and underwear had been claimed by the jungle, as well.

Sora glanced down at his hips and thighs; around that area, after much trial and error, he had created makeshift shorts out of vines and leaves. They were terribly uncomfortable—the wind as he slid on the branch of a tree blew right through—his choice of material had been quite minimal.

He closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and exhaled in a sigh. Glancing ahead of him, his eyes fell on Tarzan, the ape man. Much older, the muscular brunette with long locks just passing his shoulders on either side of a long face was in the adult years of manhood. He was just as scantily clad, however he was wearing a brown-hided loincloth and his feet were completely bare. Sora carried his Keyblade like the ape man held onto his spear, taking it as the form necessary to slide on jungle tree branches.

_How does Tarzan do it?_ he wondered silently, mourning both his nudity and the pain in his bare feet; moss on the branch softened the scraping and made sliding possible, but it was still quite rough. (His feet were killing him!)

Tarzan suddenly leaped from the branch with a grunt and grabbed a vine, swinging to another. Sora followed; a less simple feat than Tarzan made it appear, but it was not impossible for him. Truthfully, he found it rather joyous; although, if he did not feel so embarrassed, he would be even more mirthful.

He went on for awhile, concentrating on both trying to keep up with the wild man and in making sure he would release at the right moment to be able to grab the next—if he was too hasty or too sluggish, he knew he would fall. Then, a familiar female voice distracted him by bringing him to glance to his right.

She had the voice and the face of an angel. Cool, peaceful and innocent blue eyes regarded him, shaded partly by bangs colored the same vibrant red as roses. Her hair was short, presenting her youth, and light blooms on her cheeks made her face glow pink. As one hand balanced her on the branch against the trunk, the other was held in front of her mouth.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so . . . _naked_ before . . . ," she remarked, discomfited.

Sora's eyes widened when he saw her—"Kairi!"—and, incidentally, discontinued watching where he was going. Within moments, the lack of attention brought on penalty by means of crashing into the tree. "Oof!" Quickly, before he could fall very far, he struck his Keyblade into the side of the tree and hung on.

"Kairi. . . ." The brunette ignored the pain and glanced over his shoulder toward the branch where she had stood; her appearance had been fleeting, for just as abruptly as she had manifested, she had disappeared. _Did I imagine her?_ He wondered. _Is this what they call "jungle fever"?_

Tarzan appeared from above, sliding down a vine. His forest green eyes glanced over Sora as he beckoned to him, speaking in hoots and grunts the boy could not understand. Nonetheless, Sora responded, "I thought I saw _Kairi._"

"Kairi," he repeated, "friends."

Sora nodded. "She was here, just like you said. I think. . . ."

"&&X%. Friends, here."

"I know, you said that." Sora looked toward his left, spotting a branch just a little ways below him. With a grunt of effort, he swung himself gently and began to pry the Keyblade from the tree. "You're taking me to them, right? 'Tarzan go—Sora go go!'" He grunted and pulled his Keyblade from the tree at the moment where his body was angled toward the branch; it was wider than most so—luckily—he did not overreach it.

He stood still for a moment, gathering his bearings; despite that his fighting style tended to consist of the use of heavy swings and bashes, he was not quite used to utilizing his upper body; primarily for transportation, that is. All the while, he was carrying his Keyblade, as well, toughening the task. If Brave Warrior had been lost along with his clothes, he thought while looking at it on his wrist, it would probably be nigh impossible for him to keep up.

————

_Sora eyed the accessory on his wrist in aversion. It was a simple-looking piece, a metal bangle with little decoration. He was told that there were special properties to it, but he had trouble seeing that; it was only a bracelet! The Keybearer sat on a dark blue couch with his weapon leaning against the round, dark wooden table between it and the wall. "Hiki, what did you say this was?"_

_Sitting next to him, on the other half of the couch, Hikari turned her head toward him. She twisted her body, facing him as she brought on leg onto the cushion. "Cid said it's called 'Brave Warrior.' Its attributes raise your strength and stamina, so you'll be able to fight harder, longer without getting tired."_

_For a few more moments, he stared at it silently. "Well . . . why do I have to wear it?"_

_"Good question. How about another?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she obliged. "Because you need it. You're pretty scrawny, and the baggy clothes make it worse. We'll build up the muscle, but for now, this'll do. The Keybearer shouldn't have to exert so much energy on weak Shadows."_

————

_Hikari pretended that she had not heard him. She spoke a little louder, intending not to sound condescending, but to make sure he heard her. "On the other hand—," he perked up a little; she looked at him, "—the tournament . . . that was not a fluke, was it? Up until Not-Naruto . . . hn . . . not bad."_

_Tickled pink, the brunette smiled once again, feeling warmth in his heart. "Oh!" From his pocket, he procured something small enough to be shielded from her view as he took her wrist; the movement made her wince. "This was left behind when we defeated him. It looks like Brave Warrior, which I don't think I could've done the tournament without." He slipped an Inferno Band on her wrist; it was much like Brave Warrior, being simple, but had a rose tinge to it. "Since you were totally owned by Cerberus, I thought it might help you in your recovery—and in future battles."_

————

_A tear in the membrane was made; her hands immediately stopped moving. More earnestly, and almost melancholy as compared to her previous speech, she said, "Sora—that's where you're wrong. We're not friends. I don't have friends." She paused and looked down, her lips, pursing minutely. "I—can't—have friends. . . ."_

_Sora clenched his jaw and turned his hands to fists. He was blinking wide eyes rapidly, stepping back. With more conviction, he said, "Well, if that's how you feel—!"_

"_It is what I know. We're just allies, on the same side. Not—friends."_

————

A pang swelled in Sora's chest, followed by a strong jolt that he was becoming somewhat familiar with. His eyes widened and he clutched his chest, jerking more violently than before. Yet, his heart felt totally fine. Fear had risen in his belly when a calm voice crooned to him.

"You're okay, Sora. Everything'll be fine. . . ."

_Wooden swords clashed and clanked in the hands of two teenage boys. It was friendly sparring, seeing as both the spiky-haired brunette and the silver-haired boy had the slightest smile to their battle expressions. Since he had the upper hand, being greater in defense, the latter wore more of a smirk whereas the other was beginning to feel a minuscule frustration._

_The Sun was setting over the horizon, therefore reds and oranges made up the colors of the sky; the sea around the small islands had carnation waters._

_Coconut trees decorated the island on which the two sparred. Only one of the trees, which did not have any branches, had a small grey trunk bent in an L-shape. At the top there were palm leaves and star-shaped fruit known as paopu._

Sora manifested on the branch, appearing like a phantom copy of what his current form—nudity and all—was in Deep Jungle. His body was transparent, standing atop the base of the paopu tree. With wide eyes, he looked from his hands to the scene around him; though he had no difficulty seeing through himself, he did have trouble seeing the scenery as veritable. "Huh? The Island!"

Not only did he recognize his home, Destiny Islands, but he saw that the sparring brunette was himself; fully-clothed, completely manifest, and certainly struggling with his opponent—Sora recognized him, as well. "Riku . . .?"

_Riku's silver hair nearly reached his shoulders; a sleeveless yellow turtleneck closely fit over his torso and allowed his muscles to be admired by girls and envied by scrawny__—__as he remembered Hikari had so eloquently put it__—__boys such as himself. Two blue pieces crossed over his chest and colored his sides, matching a similar shade in his cyan eyes though in them he also had some green. He held his wooden sword in dark gloves cut just above the base of his palm._

Wildboy Sora viewed the scene in wonder, but had allowed his mouth to close and his eyes to return to normal size. He watched Riku knock him down_—__"What's the matter? Giving up already?"__—_and then himself stand up, desperate to retaliate. This entire scenario felt much like déjà vu.

"It seems like déjà vu because it is. This is my memory," a voice stated to his right; the same voice that had spoken to him just before arriving there. Two identical wraiths sat side-by-side on the trunk, female youths as translucent as him. They regarded the match using eyes colored of stone while _one brushed blonde locks behind her ear._ Sleeveless white hoodies that zipped down the front acted as dresses to mid-thigh. Around their waists were blue belts and their entire right arms were bandaged from shoulder-to-fingertip. Bandages wrapped around her thighs, a wide and large kunai pouch attached to her belt, and she wore blue zori.

The one closer to him turned her head and met his gaze. "Watch. You know which day this was."

He did as she said and stared forward, watching as _the sword was knocked from his memory-self's hand; it fell off of the island and landed in the water. Defeated, the non-wraith brunette ended up collapsed with his rump on the sand. "Aw, man! Now the score's zero to three!"_

_Riku smirked. "Now enough procrastinating and get your stuff for the raft. I turned my things into Kairi already."_

"The raft . . . ? Ah! This is the day before the Heartless showed up!" He turned toward the mysterious girl and inquired; she confirmed by nodding. He watched himself make a face and pick up a log before departing. "But . . . how can this be your memory? I remember me and Riku, but not you. . . ."

She glanced toward him and smiled wryly. "I . . . didn't let you see me." Looking away from him, she twisted her mouth before hopping down from the tree. She stepped aside for Riku as _he took her place next to the memory of her; that girl watched him with soft eyes._

"_He finally attained the skill to defeat Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, three-to-one, but still I guess it's not enough," the girl commented, tilting her head to the side as she turned her gaze out toward the sea. "But even the five of you couldn't take on Naruto," she teased lightly._

_The light-haired boy brought his foot up onto the trunk and perched his elbow on his knee. "Hey, he cheats with those clone-things__—__doesn't make it five-on-one anymore."_

"_Hah, is that right?" Her eyes softened and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Although he did not truly feel it, he had noticed the action from the corner of his eye and glanced; his previous face turned into a warm smile. A pink shade having nothing to do with the sunset colored his cheeks._

_Her smile turned wry. "I wish I could be with you guys, truly. Not just this . . . 'ghost' that haunts the island. Maybe . . . maybe when I'm whole, here . . . I'll be accepted? Sora, Kairi__—__I wanna meet them for real, someday." She lowered her gaze and blushed; Riku's lips parted as if he meant to say something, but then decided it best not to._

"_I can feel it," she continued, holding her arm. "Somewhere out there, there's the other me, my other half."_

_Whichever hesitation had forestalled him fleetingly was put aside as something flashed in his eyes. Silently, he twisted, moving his shoulder from beneath her head. She lifted her head and met his gaze, then followed his hand as he strategically placed it so it was shaped against her cheek just as if her body were truly manifested. With sorrow in her eyes, stone grey met cyan once more._

_She bowed her head and turned it forward, incidentally leaning so his fingers poked inside her face, beneath her jaw. Her eyelashes shadowed her melancholy grays; her smile was weak, wryly humored. "You must look like a big dork . . . cupping air."_

_Riku stared at her for a moment, still holding his hand in her jaw. Awkwardly, he closed his hand and lowered it, averting his stare toward the sea. He reverted to the position he had been sitting in before._

Sora crossed his arms, trying to comprehend what was occurring. It was apparent that she had let Riku see her—but then why had he not told him about her? There was a minuscule pain in his chest. They appeared rather smitten. . . . Despite his tendency to be dense, he could tell they cared for one another, and that there was pain there. "Why're you showing me this?" he asked the transparent girl that did not appear to be part of the memory.

She crossed her arms and looked up at him over her shoulder. Her expression was playful. "If I came out and said it directly, then the trouble of bringing you here could've been avoided. So—shh!" For a moment, her eyes returned to her memory-self and Riku, but then she twisted to regard Sora once more. "Oh, and don't feel bad. . . . **I** told Riku not to tell anyone about me; it's not that he didn't want to."

"How did you—?"

"I read it; in your heart. Under the circumstances, I have that ability."

Sora frowned. **"What circumstances****—****?"**

The girl turned toward him and put her hands on her hips. "I bet your teachers find you a real joy. Would it kill you to pay attention and maybe figure out what I'm trying to say that way? Speculate a little."

His eyes narrowed a little but he complied, bringing her to smile. Both turned their attention back to the memory-twosome when their silence was broken.

"_You know, I've always wanted to try it," the blonde memory commented. Her eyes had wandered up to the top of the tree where paopu fruit proudly grew. "When two people share one, their destinies become intertwined, and they remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what." She turned to him. "That's right, isn't it?"_

_Riku smiled and nodded. "Someday, after we find you, we'll come back." He turned his face toward her and she lifted her head from his shoulder, twisting so their eyes met. The setting Sun tinged his skin orange and his hair the fairest of rosette; her image solely took on hues because her form was translucent. "Then you and me will share a paopu."_

_The girl's smile became a goofy grin. "You really mean it? Promise?"_

"_Of course," he grinned, "I promise."_

Sora watched the girl bow her head and blush, trying to hide the embarrassing flush with his best friend's arm. Then, as she laid her temple on his shoulder once more, the scene began to fill with darkness. The islands were becoming something like stained glass windows, only as injured platforms with many cracks and breaks. Riku and the additional wraith disappeared, swallowed in the blackness that had filled the sea and sky. Sora and the other wraith remained, but now they were no longer translucent.

The brunette looked down and realized that the paopu tree had disappeared, as well, leaving him suspended in the air. He gently drifted down until his feet touched the stained glass. Because there were many cracks, and his feet were not well protected, he was careful about where he stepped.

His lips parted as his little boy blues looked around; they cast their gaze on the stone-eyed blonde at the other end of the platform. "Everything's . . . broken. What happened here?" He glanced around once more. "_Where_ is 'here'?"

She walked across the broken glass fearlessly, though her feet were protected by blue zori, toward him. There was a little shame in her expression. "That's unimportant." When she was in front of him, she stopped. "I've decided to give you one more kind-of-clue, before I let you wake up."

"A clue?" Sora frowned; he did not like being puzzled, or someone withholding information from him. "Can't you just come out and say it?"

She giggled a little and hesitated, looking at him. Then she took his wrist, picking up his hand. "Okay, you win." His expression was quizzical when she made their palms touch and met his gaze; he became full of anticipation whereas she seemed a smidgen mischievous. Despite that, her smile was kind and sincere.

"You and me _are _friends. I just don't know it yet."

**

* * *

**

Flashes of light flitted about his darkened vision, becoming brighter as his senses returned. Sora's stare was blank yet wide-eyed, until he realized a tiny flashlight was being waved across his pupils. The brunette was lying down on some sort of fabric that felt like a sleeping bag; he sat up and yelled when a funny mustache on a stocky old man encompassed his view. "Ahhh!"

The Professor stumbled back and fumbled with his flashlight, saving it from clattering onto the ground. Behind him kneeled Jane; on one side, Tarzan was crouched like an ape with his weight resting on his knuckles and Kiba sat, cross-legged, with Akamaru on top of his head.

"Ah, awake now I see," the Professor mused. "You were rather entranced; wearing the most peculiar ensemble and unresponsive. Thought you might be related to Tarzan. He brought you here."

"Huh?" Sora blinked spots from his eyes and scanned his surroundings. He was inside a goldenrod tent of comfortable size, sitting on a sleeping bag. Two others were laid out, and a slide projector was set up in the center of the space. That blonde girl was nowhere in sight. . . . Lastly, he looked down at himself; he noticed that his torso was no longer bare and both shoes and socks were present. "My clothes!"

Kiba chimed in. "The duck used magic to bring new ones for ya; everyone saw your frank and beans when the leaves fell!" He and Akamaru chuckled. "You weren't exactly born to be wild, huh?"

Sora's face reddened and his eyes became saucer-wide. "What! Even the . . . ?" Tentatively, he turned his gaze toward Jane; she nodded shamefully. The Keybearer lowered his head and groaned.

Jane stood and wrung her hands. "Right. Well, your friends are outside with Mr. Clayton—they were quite worried about you. Speaking of which, are you alright? You were virtually catatonic. . . ."

"Yes, yes," said the Professor as he took up Sora's wrist and placed two fingers over the vein, checking his pulse. "Are you light-headed? Do you feel queasy in any way? Are you pale?"

The Keybearer took his wrist back and stood upright. "I'm okay!" He rushed outside the tent and grinned; two familiar faces stood in the encampment. With smiles, he and the shorter of them ran toward one another and grabbed hands. "Goofy! Donald!" For a moment, boy and duck stood hand in hand, before they remembered the disagreement that had crashed them there in the first place and turned away with a "humph." Goofy stood by, looking with a worried expression.

Nearby, a man of brawn yet certainly not sans intelligence frowned and rolled his eyes. His long face was clean-shaven but for a small mustache above his thin upper lip. Like it does as most men age, his hairline was beginning to recede unevenly, going farther back above his eyes than his nose, and streaks of grey were among the dark brown strands. He wore a short-sleeved goldenrod cotton shirt, red ascot, tan pants, and boots. With him, as he was a veteran hunter, he carried a shotgun.

"A circus of clowns," he remarked. "Not much use for hunting gorillas."

"Mr. Clayton," called Jane as she exited the tent after Sora; Kiba, Tarzan, and the Professor followed. She frowned at the hunter with her hands on her hips. "We're studying them, not hunting them. This is research."

Clayton turned away, ignoring her.

She regarded Sora, Donald, and Goofy and smiled. "Well, you are welcome to join us—right Daddy? The more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."

**

* * *

**

"Sora, look at what we found. Look at this," said the goof with his signature chuckle. He was loud enough so Sora and Donald could hear, but he had made himself quiet to try keeping their conversation secret. Smiling, he unveiled a small, orange cube in the palm of his hand.

The brunette regarded it inquisitively. "What's that?"

"A Gummi block. It's the same stuff used to build our ship. Hikari says it's a Protect-G that gives the Gummi defenses or makes them stronger."

"So that means. . . ."

"Your defenses sucked," cut in someone suddenly. The trio all jumped and looked between Donald and Goofy, where stood Kiba. He was a little shorter than the goof, but taller than Sora or Hikari. A glint of wonder and intrigue was in his eyes as he regarded the Gummi block. "Could be that your ship's destroyed. But then we get fragments of that stuff all the time, raining from the sky. These 'ships' . . . they fly, don't they? Some of the blocks have wings."

The trio was unfazed; they had already learned that Akamaru belonged to Kiba and he was not of this world, either. Donald scowled at him and stomped his foot in regard to the sudden appearance, "Don't scare us like that!" He turned to Sora. "It means the King could be here. So we've gotta work together to look for him. **For now.**"

"Fine," Sora conceded. "I'll let you tag along. **For now.**" He looked away, crossing his arms with a scowl. His eyes glanced over the encampment, taking little note. Nonchalantly, attempting to present disinterest, he inquired, "Where is Hikari, anyway?"

Kiba answered, scratching behind his ear with his hand similar to how a dog combated fleas with his hind paw. "She went looking for your Gummi. I wouldn't worry about her, though. Her teacher might not've thought her team was good enough for the Chuunin Exams, but I think it was her teammates more than her; they were idiots. I remember she was a pretty good shinobi. Almost beat me when I found her."

The Keybearer uncrossed his arms and looked at the shinobi. "You knew Hikari? You were friends?"

"Yep, childhood friends." Casually, he flicked away a tick he had discovered. "Oh yeah. You're lookin' for friends, aren't ya?"

His expression lightened. "Yeah. Tarzan said Riku and Kairi are here. And then one word I couldn't understand. . . . He was grunting like it meant something."

"That's 'gorilla;' Tarzan was raised by them. Heh, I've been livin' in the jungle three years and I almost forgot how to speak human. Mostly 'cause there's no civilization around here. Before Archie and them came along, there weren't other humans besides Tarzan. But I live in a tree house, not the nesting grounds—I'm not allowed. If Tarzan says they're here, then they're probably there. Hmph. Good luck tryin' to get Tarzan to take you; the Porters've been tryin' for weeks. Looks like Clayton's tryin' now."

Sure enough, when they looked over at the world's native inhabitants, the hunter wore an expression of great frustration as he held a sketch of a gorilla in the wild man's face. "GO-RI-LLA!!" he shouted, trying to get his point across.

Jane was quick to reason, regarding Tarzan with her hand. "Shouting won't help, Mr. Clayton. He barely understands English."

"Nonsense. If I can teach a parrot to sing 'God Save the Queen,' I can teach this savage a thing or two." Clayton retaliated. "Take us there! Take us to the gorillas!"

Tarzan remained crouched like an ape, appearing shorter than the people around him. The innocence in his eyes and the avarice in Clayton's made the scene seem as it was a creepy adult trying to sway a small child with candy; though in truth, the "creepy adult" had no tool of bargaining ship.

Dense as Sora was, however, he did not notice those gazes, and approached Tarzan. "I thought you were taking me to my friends. . . . They're with the gorillas, aren't they? Can you . . . take us to them?"

Sora's light blue stay was met by Tarzan's forest green for a long, pregnant pause. After he mulled it over, he closed his eyes in hesitation and nodded. Jane regarded him with concern and disbelief. "Tarzan," she began tentatively, "are you sure?"

"Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?"

"He's the leader. Tarzan's dad, if he'd ever accept him," answered Kiba. "Doesn't trust humans, so all of us going'll only scare him. Sora needs to find his friends, and his party should go with him. Three people is kinda pushing it, but one more could probably go along. I'll stay behind."

Before Jane or the Professor could speak, Clayton smiled and volunteered himself. "Perfect. You can protect Miss Porter and the Professor. I'll go along as an escort. After all, the jungle is a dangerous place. . . ."

His smile became dark and foreboding.

**End of Chapter Twelve**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Thirteen: Stygian Requiem

"Sound . . . ? You're the last I'd expect to see, especially looking like you're on a mission—in a place like this," remarked Hikari. She intently stared at the ones visible to her and listened for the fourth's movement. "Orochimaru . . . huh? That snake sent you to kill me, is that it?"

Sakon scoffed, prompting Hikari's stare. "Please. As if you're a threat to him." He crossed his arms, lilting his head. "For some reason, he's interested in you; subsequently, he sent us with a proposal."

"You're coming with us," Tayuya added. There was hardly any emotion in her face but solemnity; one almost would have mistaken it for disdain. "No choice in the matter, but you can make it easier on yourself by going willingly or we can do it forcibly."

* * *

Bonjour, mes amis! I'm so sorry my updates are becoming so slow . . . I'm trying to keep them under a month, and bi-weekly would be ideal, but things come up. We have a new computer now and my dad and sis are really becoming attached to it (darn Facebook *shakes fist*) soooo my computer time has mostly been dedicated to History work. . . . Not much fun XP

Anyway, this chapter: Wildboy Sora came from the mind of one of my best friends, and I couldn't resist bringing that to fruition XD I forgot to mention in light of last chapter's preview that I have not nor do I intend to write smut in my fanfics. I keep everything PG-13, as should be hinted by the rating. So, thanks to Jenn for the idea! It lightened a chapter of what was to be mostly dull moments XD As you can see, I attempted much humor, and as you would not know without my saying I did rewrite that portion where Sora's pulled into the memory. Originally, it was much more . . . well, I don't want to say it was bad, but I prefer this one mostly because it leaves more wonder and gives you more to speculate about how it may tie in . . . I hope.

Welp, tell me whatcha think! Theories, requests---I'm still curious as to couplings, be they canon, crossing over, or with Hiki. As always, I will try to work harder on posting things . . . but see, I also got FFVII and FFVIII recently XD Hehe. Worry not! I will divide my time . . . well, a little better than I have recently, that is. **Thanks for reading, to my reviewers, Ace (my beta-reader), and God bless!**


	13. Accursed Requiem

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "He's the leader. Tarzan's dad, if he'd ever accept him," answered Kiba. "Doesn't trust humans, so all of us going'll only scare him. Sora needs to find his friends, and his party should go with him. Three people is kinda pushing it, but one more could probably go along. I'll stay behind."

Before Jane or the Professor could speak, Clayton smiled and volunteered himself. "Perfect. You can protect Miss Porter and the Professor. I'll go along as an escort. After all, the jungle is a dangerous place. . . ."

His smile became dark and foreboding.

**Chapter Thirteen: Accursed Requiem**

One's eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. Through them what goes unsaid or is hidden by a smile or frown comes to light—ideally. Wintry eyes can be warm, and warmly colored eyes can be cold. Soulless eyes reflected the empty being one was.

And yellow eyes that glowed characteristically hinted either one without a heart or one whose light had abandoned them long ago.

There were four pairs of eyes on Hikari. Two were completely black, bearing no distinction for iris and pupil. The third was a dark, milk chocolate brown, and the fourth was a fiery red-orange. All came from different directions.

On a branch in front of Hikari stood a bluish grey-haired male with pale skin and a little brown eyeliner feminizing his features; his turquoise lips formed a condescending smirk. He wore long black armbands and skin-tight shorts; his tunic was short-sleeved, tan, had a purple rope around his waist, and brandished a Yin-Yang symbol—only, the parts normally meant to be colored black were blank. Around his neck he wore a dark red-beaded necklace; it appeared that another head sprouted from the back of there. He was one of the black-eyed ninja, Sakon, whereas the other head was his brother, Ukon.

Jirobou was a portly boy with red-orange eyes matching the three patches of hair on his scalp in color. His outfit was similar to Sakon's, though his tunic was sleeveless, he was sans arm bands, and his shorts were actually baggy pants tucked into bandages. There was no makeup on his stoic expression; he was to Hikari's left.

A young woman with reddish pink hair was a little higher than her, standing atop a branch on her right: Tayuya. Her bangs fell around and between the dark brown eyes as a black cap covered her scalp. She was outfitted similarly to Sakon, but she wore no beads.

In order to see the fourth person, and the other person with black irises, Hikari had to twist her head and look behind her. He was a dark-skinned, dark ponytailed, arachnid, having six arms coming through the armholes of his sleeveless shirt and a standard pair of legs—eight limbs in all. What drew Hikari's attention about him—Kidoumaru—the most, however, was the shinobi hitaiate tied around his forehead brandishing a musical eighth note.

"Sound . . . ? You're the last I'd expect to see, especially looking like you're on a mission—in a place like this," remarked Hikari. She intently stared at the ones visible to her and listened for the fourth's movement. "Orochimaru . . . huh? That snake sent you to kill me, is that it?"

Sakon scoffed, prompting Hikari's stare. "Please. As if you're a threat to him." He crossed his arms, lilting his head. "For some reason, he's interested in you; subsequently, he sent us with a proposal."

"You're coming with us," Tayuya added. There was hardly any emotion in her face but solemnity; one almost would have mistaken it for disdain. "No choice in the matter, but you can make it easier on yourself by going willingly or we can do it forcibly."

"A good player is always looking to level up," Kidoumaru included. "They want to improve their stats. Orochimaru can do that for you; grant you new abilities."

"Mm. Is that right?" _Somehow, I doubt that. And as far as his power . . . that level's capped._ As she gazed around at them, she subtly toyed with the summon gems; her eyes landed on the first speaker, Sakon. "Doesn't sound like much of a proposal to me; hardly even a bribe. Do you think you can threaten someone that can't honestly be scared?"

Lines formed around brown eyeliner on the visible eyes, manifesting with his smirk. "Hnhnhn. Smart-aleck."

"'Smart-aleck'? Try dumbbell." The strawberry red-haired kunoichi angled her head and lifted a fist to her hip. Her dark brown eyes directly gazed into Hikari's yellow. "You can see it in her eyes. She knows she's outmatched, but she's calculating anyway, questioning us just to stall."

Hikari's expression sustained its lack of emotion, though her eyes narrowed microscopically. Quickly, she jumped down from her current branch to one below and formed a hand sign, concentrating chakra to the bottom of her feet. With the aid of that chakra, she kicked off of the branch with great force, shooting past the branch on which Kidoumaru stood like a bullet from the barrel of a gun. She continued to employ that speed in running away.

The Sound Four seemed not to be alarmed by this; the arachnid, in fact, smirked. Unfortunately, it would be too soon when Hikari would discover why.

Within a minute or so of her attempted escape, she kicked off another branch, only to abruptly find herself suspended mid-leap. "What!?" The girl tried to move forward, or backward—but no matter how much she struggled, it felt as though her limbs were "taped" to something.

"It's useless," a voice stated. Hikari leaned her head back and stared above, watching as the owner of that voice, Kidoumaru, propelled from above with the aid of what appeared to be silver ropes. He came upside down, much like a spider would. "Even elephants can't break through that web."

_Web . . . ? _Hikari returned her gaze to her front, where the rest of the Sound Four were appearing. Tayuya held a flute in her hands and to her lips, poised to play. She let a single note escape, and the "web" Kidoumaru had spoken of manifested; the illusion that had hidden it melted away, revealing to the teen that she was in fact trapped in a giant spider web.

Tayuya lowered her flute as Sakon sneered, thinning his lips. "All that tailing and she falls into our hands so easily. What a waste. Really, why does Orochimaru have interest in this trash?"

The yellow-eyed teen frowned and fought against the web a little more before she decided it truly was futile. "Well . . . if that's the case, then I suppose I will have to go willingly, huh? I'm outmatched, and you're just too clever." She lifted her head and regarded Kidoumaru once more. "Go on, release me. I won't run."

The Sound Four exchanged gazes; rather, Sakon and Tayuya glanced toward Jirobou as he and Kidoumaru locked stares. Kidoumaru gave a curt nod and Jirobou turned toward Hikari, approaching one of the trees to which the web was attached. "It's not going to be that simple for you," stated the many-limbed boy. "Jirobou can take energy from someone else's chakra like he would food; since you won't be fighting us, you can put that chakra to good use."

Hikari's expression did not change, though she turned her head toward where Jirobou touched the tree. If she had been using the byakugan, she would have been able to watch as her chakra was channeled to him through contact with the tree, which contacted the web, to which she was stuck. Although she could not see it, she could certainly feel as her chakra was drained.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, in another part of the jungle, the group led by Tarzan reached the nesting grounds. High above the jungle floor, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Clayton, and Tarzan were on a rise covered in grass and vines as many trees around them nested gorillas. The largest of the gorillas, assumed to be the alpha, was black and menacing, looking down on them with disapproving eyes.

"_They mean us no harm, Kerchak!"_ Tarzan implored. Speaking in the language native to the jungle, he stood on his two legs in only a slight crouch compared to normal. Twilight was beginning to set, so orange light broke through the canopy and tinted the scene.

Kerchak grunted sternly, narrowing his yellow-sclera, red iris eyes. _"Tarzan, I don't know them."_

"_But I do. I've spent time with their kind. . . . I trust them."_ The ape man gazed below. _"You see, I want to help them because . . . ,"_ he looked up at Kerchak again and chose his words, _". . . because . . . well, they need us."_

Kala, a chestnut brown-furred gorilla and mate of Kerchak, turned her head to regard her mate. Firmly standing on the position of distrust, Kerchak responded, _"You may be willing to risk this family's safety, but I'm not."_

Tarzan snapped and vaulted to the branch leading to Kala and Kerchak's nest. He rushed the alpha and stomped his hands just before him, coming up to his face; compared to one another, the alpha was larger. Tarzan's shoulders were squared in his crouch, and his brow set low; as if he were trying to intimidate him. _"Why are you threatened by anyone different from you!?"_

The gorilla narrowed his eyes and leaned forward; the ape man did not falter. _"Protect this family,_" he began dauntingly, then glanced at the other non-gorilla, _"and stay away from them."_

Goofy's brow was wrinkled in unease; he shrank when Kerchak glanced at them and leaned in toward Sora and Donald as silence befell. "Uh. . . . Didja get that?"

"No," Donald answered, seemingly uninfluenced.

Ape and man stared one another down. The latter dithered, bringing the former to give one final decisive snort, and turn his back on him. As he began to leave, so did the other gorillas. Tarzan's face fell. _"Kerchak . . . !"_

Clayton frowned and stepped passed Sora to the front, watching as they left. He appeared to be alarmed. "What is he _doing?_ They're getting away!"

Sora's brow furrowed as he watched the gorillas leave.

**

* * *

**

Sweat glistened on Hikari's face, cooling her pasty complexion as the wind rushed passed. Her eyebrows were knit and her teeth grit; nearly every time she kicked off a branch to stay in the middle of the square formed by the Sound Four, she grunted with effort. Her breath was minutely accented, but she was not gasping for air.

The amount of chakra left behind for her to utilize was bare minimum; just enough energy for her to function and keep up with them for a period of time, but not enough for her to attack them with any jutsu. It had been quite awhile since she had felt so _exhausted;_ years, in fact.

To keep sweat on her brow from trickling into her eyes, she picked up her arm and wiped some away. In the same movement, she glanced at Tayuya and Kidoumaru, the ninja in front of her. Then, she twisted her head a little and glanced back to her left, seeing Sakon. She stared forward once more when their gazes met.

He frowned.

_I don't plan on hanging around these guys much longer,_ she thought. Scowling, she glanced at her chest. _It's been awhile since I've used it . . . but to stay away from him, I'll have to use his power. I'll have to bite from the forbidden fruit once again._

Hikari closed her eyes and searched for the reserves of power sleeping dormant within her and unconstrained it. Instantly she felt replenished and superfluous chakra surge through her, mingling with the chakra she had left. Power greater than what the Guts gem lent her filled the very fibers of her being; transcendent herculean sinew flexed through her muscles and violet chakra channeled through the appointed network once tainting her core. Lines like stitches were drawn across her skin, first spreading as far as the entire left half of her face, her neck, and most of her forearm.

The forbidden fruit tasted even sweeter than she remembered; like her lips embraced luscious cusps of a stygian lover and carnal desire bulged in her veins. Her skin tingled as she lusted for blood. . . . They were feelings one without a heart normally would not feel; yet they were empty and insatiable, desirous and forever unfulfilled . . . similar to what the sensation of existing bereft of a heart was.

Abruptly she landed on the next branch and swiveled, facing the two Sound ninja in the rear. While they were in midair she performed some hand signs and reached her right arm toward the portly one. Four green snakes protruded and darted to him. He pulled out a kunai to slice them, for he was in no position to dodge, but when he attempted to they evaded and one bound his wrist.

Hikari pulled back her arm and used the snakes to swing Jirobou around to hit Sakon. Throwing his weight was done as quickly as possible, but Sakon left midair before contact was made. As soon as he landed on the branch, there was a collision, but he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, replaced by a small log.

The snakes unwound from Jirobou and quickly returned to their host; she swiveled and glanced at the other two Sound nin. She crouched just in time to avoid another web projected toward her. This time she was smarter about circumventing those to come. By remaining on the branch, she was able to simply run and was not stuck in midair.

Kidoumaru stopped spitting web as Tayuya slid across the branch to kick Hikari's legs from beneath her; the yellow-eyed teen jumped before that could happen. While Tayuya was below her, she pulled back her fist and lunged forward; before the blow could land, the Sound kunoichi rolled out of the way, and her fist broke through the branch. Her eyes narrowed.

Whilst falling toward another branch below she leaned back in order to be upright. She twisted her neck to look behind her and saw that Sakon had kicked off the side of a tree and was heading her way. His fist was pulled back, thus she twisted fully and raised her arms in a guarded position.

Her stitch-like markings spread further across her body as he closed in. Just before he would—as she had assumed—throw a punch, he changed his positioning and instead grabbed her arms. He forced her to collide strongly with the tree and held her in place, trapping her hands above her and planting his feet on either side of her.

He smirked at her mark's continued growth, thinning turquoise lips once more so they revealed his teeth. "Intrepid, or foolish; I don't know which is more fitting of trash like you. Pulling a stunt like that. . . . We underestimated you a little." He tilted his head, allowing his bangs to move over a smidgen and reveal a little more of his face. "But, you aren't the only one Orochimaru likes."

Hikari was reserved about the intimacy of the position, erect against the trunk behind her. He was slightly above her, so to look him in the eye she had to angle her head a smidgen. "Sending you to do his grunt work? Sounds like a pretty nice, _subordinate_ relationship to me—"

She narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue. Similar to how her stitches had crossed her skin, many spots varying in shape dotted across his face and the visible right half of his body; it appeared like bacteria. "Is that right . . . ? All of you have curse marks?"

"You won't be finding out. Do!"

A staggering force punched Hikari's gut; the pained sound she made was gurgled by a significant amount of coughed up blood. The tree was splintering around her body, holding itself together by tenuous fibers. When she stopped coughing, she narrowed her eyes from their round state and her body loosened. Barely hanging onto consciousness, her head was bowed and she squinted to focus her vision. Two fists and arms had grown from Sakon's stomach to strike her; she watched them sink back into his stomach and shut her eyes, aching.

She heard his low, throaty chuckle. "Couldn't hardly take Do? Hn. If you somehow shake that off and try fighting us again, I'll show no mercy; but I will show you my 'Do Re Mi combo.'"

Her only response was to grunt—as the simple act of breathing pained her—and tremble. Blood leaked from her mouth to her chin and her teeth grinded, but despite the effort, she could not even lift her head. Breathing was a bit of a struggle. _My defenses . . . are much weaker than I thought—__**one punch**__. . . ._

Her protests to him slumping her over his shoulder were unspoken; she hung as limply as a sheet on a clothesline. Sakon jumped off the trunk and landed down on one knee on the branch of a different tree. From the extra force, the first tree snapped and turned to timber, falling and snapping a few branches in its wake. Tayuya, Kidoumaru, and Jiroubo met Sakon on a branch kept safe.

"Someone carry this weakling," said Sakon, holding Hikari as if preparing to hand her off.

None of the other three offered their shoulder.

Sakon frowned and lifted his left fist. Rolling their eyes, the other three followed; Kidoumaru raised his trio of lefts. They pumped their arms three times and presented signs in the center. Jiroubo's fist formed rock, as did Sakon's, and Tayuya presented two fingers like scissors. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed at Kidoumaru, who presented rock, paper, and scissors. "Piece of shit! You can't cheat like that!"

"Tayuya, a lady using language like that is distasteful."

"What's done is done," the arachnid responded. "In any case, you lost. Take the trash."

"Hell no!" barked she. Raising her fist once more toward him, she demanded a rematch between them.

He rolled his eyes but conceded, this time raising only one fist. They pumped three times, "—No one likes a sore loser, Tayuya—," and presented their signs. He smirked whereas she clicked her tongue: he had chosen paper when she had chosen rock. "And you lost. Now calm down and carry the deadweight."

Her eyes continued to narrow, but she did not protest when Hikari was transferred to her shoulder. _I could kick your ass any day of the week, eight legs._

"Let's move out. We've wasted enough time."

**

* * *

**

_The downhearted little Uzumaki was alone in the forest, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in them. White-knuckled fingers tangled in mussed charcoal locks. Flushed cheeks were wet with hot tears__—_

—_Young Hikari stood and stared at Orochimaru with large eyes full of sorrow . . . and __**anger.**__ Her heart was ripe with stygian juices spawned from those feelings, seen when their yellow eyes met; hers were darkened by the shadow of her hair, making the embers of her paroxysmal gaze glow brighter. He regarded her with amusement. Her teeth clenched and grit while his viper fangs were bared by a smirk._

_She clenched her fists and spat at Orochimaru. "Who're you? What d'you want from me?" Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I'm not going back there! I'll show them what I can be . . . I'll make them turn to Heartless, if that's what they think I can do!" She looked down. "Ev'ry one of 'em. . . . I'LL TAKE THEIR HEARTS!"_

_Her breath was staggering from a lump tight in her throat. She swallowed and raised her gaze, but all that subsided was her intensity as it gave way to surprise. Instead of regarding her with fear, like she had expected, his smirk had grown. There was something in her eyes, something dark and sincere, that he liked__—_

While remaining slung over Tayuya's shoulder, Hikari opened her eyes a little and scowled. The blood was still wet on her face, possibly due to its mixing with her sweat. She trembled, struggling to close her hand to a fist. The markings spread further with her curling hand; with the extra strength, she could flex.

Since no one was behind Tayuya, the teen's actions were unnoticed. Her grunts of effort were in time with when the young woman impacted a branch, therefore they were mistaken as pain. When they were offbeat, it was attributed to breathing, as she would gasp almost immediately. She raised her hand, brushed it against her bottom lip, and let her arm drop. Blood was on her thumb.

—_She was still young, but a little older. Blood marked her hands, clothes, and face, but very little of it was her own. She took a kunai that she had wielded with her retractable tongue and withdrew it; she shuddered at the metallic taste of the red fluid. The bodies in front of her were three in number and skirting early adolescence in age._

_Breathing staggered, she regarded the bodies; they were scarcely conscious, barely alive. There was a furrow in her brow that she hid by bowing her head when her master approached. "Lord Orochimaru. . . ."_

_The expression on his face was displeased. He set his hand on top of her head, almost patting it as a minuscule gesture of praise for defeating them, prior to him bringing it under her chin. She smoothed her brow to appear emotionless before he lifted her chin and regarded her eyes. "You should be more ruthless, as a ninja and as my student. Have you forgotten your abhorrence? Your lust for hearts?"_

_A dithering shadow crossed her eyes; she could not sustain their locked gaze, and stared just under. Because she knew the silence would implicate her, she opened her mouth. "Nuh . . . nuh-uh. I will, always, remember." She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, still looking away. "But now . . . it just don't feel right."_

_Orochimaru's hand on her chin tensed, not quite digging in her skin but poised to. Though she did not look at him directly, she could feel the gaze of gross dissatisfaction upon her. The grown sclera, the wrinkles around the brow; they were both plain in her mind. Shortly the grip loosened and he lowered his hand. "I suppose, then, that you are useless to me now."__—_

—_He was a young boy, only a few years older than her. His vivid green eyes were absent of mirth, but not quite as full of anger as had been evident in Hikari's eyes when she had first joined Orochimaru. The boy's silver hair was held loosely in a ponytail and his part was in a zigzag pattern._

"_Kimimarou. . . ." Hikari muttered, gazing up into his soulless visage. She was on the ground, leaning with her head back and her throat bared. Inches from her neck was a sword made of bone from Kimimarou's arm; it sprouted from the palm of his hand. Sweat trickled past Hikari's temple as the point touched her skin. She was afraid swallowing would make it puncture._

_Behind the boy stood Orochimaru, wearing a devilish smile—_

—"_Ahhh!" Orochimaru's fangs sank into the skin of Hikari's neck. Her eyes were shut tight and her knees buckled, but she did not collapse until he withdrew and his hot, moist breath left her skin. She was on her side, holding over where he had bitten, and writhed in pain. A bruise manifested over her heart, marked by three crosses pointing toward an invisible focal point._

_He licked her blood from his fangs and continued to smile with a touch of sadism. The girl before him was in complete __**agony,**__ sweating profusely and hardly finding the breath to groan or moan, let alone scream. "W-wha__—__why? Oro . . . chi__—__maru__—__!" she gasped._

_His eyes and smile were cold. "I'm leaving this base behind . . . and with it, anything I no longer can use. There's a ten percent chance one may survive that curse . . . ," he smirked in such a way that Hikari's sweat turned cold, ". . . but in your case, I imagine even less."__—_

—_Hikari lied in the center of the dark room, feverish and delirious; around her she heard footsteps, and cracked open her eyes. There were fuzzy figures around her, and she could faintly hear a voice: "A kid . . . ? She barely looks alive. . . . Let's take her back to the village."__—_

—_The weathered Third Hokage gazed at the mark on her chest with hard, narrowed eyes. There were many wrinkles amongst the liver spots, discoloration, and grey facial hair; only some were attributed to his somber mood. A ring of new, smaller markings like hiragana acted like a seal around the bruise formed when she had been bitten._

_He allowed her kimono-style top to cover it and looked at her face. Her eyes were shadowed, her cheeks were stained by tears, and she had a typical case of bed-head. She held her chin up, but was looking at the floor of his office._

"_Hikari Uzumaki . . . we've been wondering what happened to you," he began in an aged voice. "Your brother, especially, has been very worried about you."_

_Her mouth twisted and she ducked her head, burying her forehead in the bases of her palms and tangling her fingers in her hair. "Ngh!"—_

Presently, Hikari swallowed and began to form hand signs. Inaudibly to others she whispered, "Never . . . ngh . . . again . . . !" The markings finished crossing her skin, and chakra colored black and purple began to leak from her pores; lightning-fast—quicker—she formed two sets of seals for separate jutsu. Still on Tayuya's shoulder, she now had the strength to lift her upper body, using the woman's head as leverage, and faced her thumb down, releasing chakra from her first technique. "Summoning Jutsu!"

She pushed herself away from Tayuya as darkness, instead of chakra, spilled from the blood-offering. Corridors of Darkness opened and produced many Heartless, creating a substantial ring around Hikari and the Sound Four.

Powerwilds, Bouncywilds, and Stealth Sneaks—the first two were similar to monkeys in appearance, the former a bit more masculine than the latter. The Powerwilds appeared more gloomy, but certainly stronger; having dark blue fur and an almost militia navy uniform with muscles bulging in its forearms and hands. Black masks—similar to a masquerade type—surrounded glowing yellow eyes.

The Bouncywilds were much more petite, but also had a mask like the Powerwilds. They were more feminine, however, having gold hoops dangling from their orange ears and large red bows on the center of their heads. While the Powerwilds were barehanded yet with talons, the Bouncywilds held slingshots and had simple, black digits. Those two species made up a majority of the summoned Heartless.

Spread almost equally throughout the circle there were four Stealth Sneaks. These Heartless resembled giant chameleons; their skin arbitrarily was colored yellow, green, and shades between. If it were not for the emblems on their bellies, one would venture to think they were normal animals. As soon as they had appeared, they blended into the scene.

The Sound Four stopped and stared; after being pushed by Hikari, Tayuya had stumbled and fallen to a lower branch. On her level, as well, more Heartless were present. "What the hell!?"

Wrinkles formed around Sakon's round eyes as he cursed, wondering how many times they would underestimate this girl. He saw a shifting of scene before him, a sort of flicker; immediately he thought of the Stealth Sneaks and raised his fist. He approximated where it was and struck its belly; in a blur, other fists sprouted from his arm and barraged it. The Heartless's shroud disappeared as it wined and fell; since a stygian aura still hung in the air, one could not tell if it disappeared in darkness or veiled itself once more.

Meanwhile, changes continued on Hikari's body. The markings broadened and merged, becoming one color across her skin. That color lightened from black to a sea foam/cyanic color that also colored sections of her hair arbitrarily. The ebony locks were growing, spreading over her back as her shoulder blades cracked and shifted inside. She was hunched over, silently allowing the changes to occur.

The monkey Heartless danced around, looking on when two large, bone-like apparatuses tore through her back and fishnet. However, they were not truly bone, as next it appeared that they unfolded like metal hinges. Much like wings, they were raised and poised to fly. Suggesting they were metal, perhaps iron, sharply pointed rods slid from the joints; the overall layout was skeletal. Her nails, too, had grown nearly into claws.

Tayuya frowned as she watched from the level below, though her eyes were still wide. She began releasing her own curse mark—lines as jagged as shattered glass crossed her body—and cursed, raising her flute to her lips. "Is there anything else Orochimaru forgot to tell us about this wench!"

Hikari raised her arm and pointed at a Bouncywild to her right, a distance away from Tayuya and out of the Sound kunoichi's view. That Heartless lifted its slingshot and a white ball, taking aim. When it released tension in the slingshot just as the nin had begun to play, the ball knocked the flute from her hands, turning the note flat. The flute fell toward the jungle floor.

The black and violet wisps seeping from the heartless girl's skin began to lessen as she straightened her back and let her wings fold. The back of her hair had grown to her knees. She watched as Jirobou and Kidoumaru struggled against the invisible chameleon Heartless keeping them in place. Lines had extended from the corner of her mouth in a purple color, looking like cuts on either side had been sewn.

"As Spiderboy over there would say . . . it's 'game over' for you."

Kidoumaru scowled and opened his mouth to retaliate; however, before he or Jirobou could, Hikari's wings made their move. In one swift movement, they had unfolded from behind her and extended further from her, shooting forth twenty feet to pierce both of them through the heart and into the tree. Incidentally, the Stealth Sneaks were felled as well; their veil was penetrated, and they melted away in a dark cloud.

Sakon clicked his tongue and cursed. "Weaklings . . . !"

Upon hearing his statement, although hushed it was, Hikari perked up. Slowly she pulled her wings from the tree, unpinning the Sound nins' corpses. They slid from the wings and fell, leaving blood to stain the tips of the skeletal protrusions.

While it partially reeled in, so as to appear like normal wings, she turned toward Sakon.

Her eyes were marked with purple in the same fashion as Orochimaru; shadowed, it was revealed that her sclera filled with darkness, and her yellow irises currently glowed more than ever.

**

* * *

**

High in the jungle's treetops, high enough that there was more air than trees, a Tree House built over eighteen years ago still stood strong. Moss and other greens had begun to grow between the floorboards and on the walls, yet the wood had not rotted enough to lessen its sturdiness.

Clayton stood in the opening of the Tree House, poised with one eye open and his finger near the trigger of his shotgun. He stared down the barrel with a hungry expression at a female gorilla named Terk. She sat in the center of the room, scratching her blue-furred rump.

The floors extended beyond the perimeter of the walls, creating a walkway from the leaning tree one climbed to the entrance. Donald, a little ahead of Sora, Goofy, and Tarzan, waddled as fast as he could toward where Clayton stood.

Smoothly, Clayton shifted his finger over the trigger, and prepared to fire just as Donald came up on his side. The duck jumped and screamed, startling the hunter to fall to his knees and pull the trigger by accident. Since he had faltered, his aim was not on the mark, and the bullet hit the floorboards inches from Terk.

The rest of the group expedited at the sound of the shot, coming where Donald stood over Clayton. "What's the big idea!?"

Clayton searched for his excuse as Tarzan walked further into the Tree House. Terk was climbing up toward the rafters, where the other gorillas roosted; naturally, Kerchak was in front. Upon seeing the group's arrival, he had turned to leave. "Wait, Kerchak! Please!"

But Tarzan's plea was in vain. The sole gorilla that lingered—though only for a moment—was Terk as she cast her gaze on Donald. In a furtive way, she turned and joined the family. With that, Tarzan turned and gave Clayton an accusing glance.

"You don't understand," the hunter began. "I was only trying to. . . ." He held his head and thought quickly, then pointed at an invisible something. ". . . ! A snake slithered by, you see. _I_ saved that poor gorilla's life. . . ."

Meeting him with a cold stare, Tarzan shook his head.

**

* * *

**

Hikari stood on a branch at dusk, blankly staring in front of her. Many Heartless littered the scene still, collectively waiting for her command. Her flightless wings absently swayed, not with any wind but simply because they could. Four corpses were in the area around her.

"Heartless . . . of all things to summon," she murmured, glancing over the beings of darkness before her. Silently, she lowered her gaze and lifted her hand, staring at her light, cyanic complexion. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and covered them. In her silhouette, her wings stiffened and folded into her back as threads of darkness leaked from her pores. Shortly, she reverted to her normal form . . . with one exception.

When she lowered her hand, purple markings identical to Orochimaru's shadowed her eyes.

A glint in her peripherals caught her attention and drew her gaze. To her left, a Bouncywild stood on Tayuya's body, holding a vivid green gem in its paw. Hikari held her hand out toward it. "Give it here."

The Heartless did not hesitate to obey, bouncing from that branch to hers. In the palm of her hand, Hikari could see the two pink dots decorating the gem. Without a doubt, it was one for summoning; she could feel chakra in it.

"Another for the collection. Question is: who are you?" She hooked it onto the bracelet next to the other two. Then, she looked at the Heartless once more. They all regarded her, and for a moment she simply stared back, wondering what to do about them. "As for you . . . this affiliation could be _very_ problematic. . . . I don't plan on being like you for long." She deftly produced a kunai and felled the Bouncywild nearest her whilst regarding the rest. "Away with you."

**End of Chapter Thirteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light!! Chapter Fourteen: Trick or Treat

He nodded and quirked a brow. "Uh-huh. . . . What, you don't think we were?"

"Didn't say that." _I didn't realize. . . ._ She glanced down, hiding her eyes beneath her lashes. "But friends . . . they're supposed to be able to say things to each other, in confidence, and it's supposed to be . . . 'safe,' isn't that right? Friends, they . . . tell secrets. I can trust you?"

"Yeah . . . are you saying you want to tell me what you're hiding after all?" He sneered. "I'm all ears. You can trust me."

* * *

A bit more profanity this chapter than you're used to from WDTL, but it's Tayuya---tried to censor her a little but in that instance the phrase jumped out at me and I thought it worked best XD Sorry if anyone was offended. Also, I wish I could provide a drawing of what Hikari's second-level Curse looks like, but my scanner isn't compatible with the new computer, so I didn't even bother drawing one out (aside from the sketch in my WDTL notebook that helped form its appearance :D)

Personally, I like this chapter. I'd wanted to get it out before my Spring Break (which would mean sometime during the week directly before Easter) but I instead found more luck in completing another Kingdom Hearts one-shot :D Charred Heart II: Not So Simple Kiss. Check it out; though they aren't as directly related as chapters are, I'd still advise ya to check out the original Charred Heart before you read its sequel.

I have a feeling for some reason my head may be bitten off by some because of this chapter for some reason. Buuuut I'm not going to give excuses in advance :) Fair?

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**Thanks for reading, God bless, and please leave a review!**


	14. Trick or Treat

Recappy From the Last Chappy: When she lowered her hand, purple markings identical to Orochimaru's shadowed her eyes.

A glint in her peripherals caught her attention and drew her gaze. To her left, a Bouncywild stood on Tayuya's body, holding a vivid green gem in its paw. Hikari held her hand out toward it. "Give it here."

The Heartless did not hesitate to obey, bouncing from that branch to hers. In the palm of her hand, Hikari could see the two pink dots decorating the gem. Without a doubt, it was one for summoning; she could feel chakra in it.

"Another for the collection. Question is: who are you?" She hooked it onto the bracelet next to the other two. Then, she looked at the Heartless once more. They all regarded her, and for a moment she simply stared back, wondering what to do about them. "As for you . . . this affiliation could be _very_ problematic. . . . I don't plan on being like you for long." She deftly produced a kunai and felled the Bouncywild nearest her whilst regarding the rest. "Away with you."

**Chapter Fourteen: Trick or Treat**

A trio of children dressed in Halloween costumes ran about the town square of a world dressed in perpetual Halloween night décor, including frightful knick-knacks, an abundance of jack-o-lanterns, and other fearsome components; in the center of the square, rising out of emerald goo, there was a guillotine, and the world was forever in nightfall, lighted by a moon instead of a sun.

The children came running from a black wrought iron gate leading to the Graveyard, chasing one another. In the lead, running away from the two, was a round-faced boy dressed as a skeleton. He was chased by a girl dressed as a witch and a devil-boy trailing behind. The girl carried with her a small, ice blue pumpkin.

Barrel, the skeleton, abruptly stopped in his tracks when he noticed something strange by the guillotine. Shock, the witch, collided with him and Lock, the devil, collided with her. She dropped the blue pumpkin; it exploded in a small, icy mist. "What's the big idea!"

Barrel pointed at the guillotine. A man with mussed silver hair and dressed in a brown tunic hung on the side of the well, unconscious. "Look at that guy over there . . . he's got that blue stuff in him. What was it called?"

Lock stepped away from his cohorts, approaching the man. He lifted the red mask from his face, revealing ashen grey skin and a mischievous smile formed by icy blue lips. As he looked upon the man, his eyes changed, paling a smidgen. "Katra. . . ."

"You idiot!" Shock squeaked. She lifted her mask too, revealing she had a similar complexion, examining the man. "It's 'CHAKRA!'"

Shrugging his shoulders, Barrel said, "Who cares what it's called? Whatever it is, Oogie said he wanted it, didn't he? We gonna take it to him?"

Lock, the sort-of-leader of the group, thought it over. Then, he sneered. "Might be fun. To Mr. Oogie Boogie!"

A bathtub with feet walked into the Guillotine Square, heading toward where the man—a ninja whose native residence had been the Land of Shurikon and Kunai—lied. Lock, Shock, and Barrel closed the flanks.

**

* * *

**

Hikari entered the encampment and glanced at the tent. Night had fallen, therefore it was a lantern inside the tent that illuminated and silhouetted the group within. They appeared to be sitting around one another, conversing; from the laughter she heard, she could deduce they were having a mirthful time.

She stopped near the cargo pile and remained idle, simply watching their silhouettes for a moment. It was not difficult to distinct which semblance belonged to whom since everyone varied so greatly in major characteristics. All Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kiba, Jane, and the Professor were within; Clayton and Tarzan were not.

Her eyes fell on the spiky profile of Sora. On the wrist which she had decorated with summon gems and Inferno Band, she touched the latter in deep thought. Nothing could have been done about the purple markings on her face, so they crinkled a little when her eyes narrowed. ". . . ."

A female voice spoke from behind her. "Friends."

Hikari turned and glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the voice. There stood a female, visible spirit with blonde hair and stone grey eyes. Her attire was familiar, reminding Hikari of what she wore when she was fresh genin. Even so, memory of the girl eluded her.

She stood with her arms crossed, the girl who had also presented herself to Sora earlier that day, wearing a cool expression as she regarded Sora's silhouette. "That's the word you're looking for. 'Friends,' isn't that right?"

The non-wraith's guard was raised, though she softened minutely in wonder. "'Friends'? No . . . it shouldn't be possible. . . ." She closed her eyes and gave one curt shake of her head, clearing the thought's processing. Pulling out a kunai, she regarded the blonde more seriously, "Are you a friendly ghost, or a vengeful spirit?"

"Hn. You have to ask me. . . ." Hands on her hips, she humorously retorted, "I know it's been three years, but of all people to forget, I wouldn't think it's me!" She shook her head. "You know me . . . you know me better than anyone else. Or you should. . . ."

"Knew," corrected the nin. "If I did know you so personally, I forgot. I don't know anyone that died, unless—though I never actually knew them—you were to count my parents, so tell me: how do I know you?"

The wraith simply stared at her for a few moments; no decipherable expression. Then, she gave a humored grunt. "Of course you'd come to that assumption. But technically, I'm more alive than you. . . ."

Narrowing her eyes whilst tightening her grip on the kunai, Hikari inquired, "Do you have some point you're trying to make? Skip the riddles then. My—allies don't need to hear us talking just because you can't tell anything to me straight."

Cracking a smile, the wraith muttered, "Riddles? I've found them pretty fun recently." She held her chin and mused a bit louder, "Not too many questions about me, what I am, or my presence . . . you don't care, or because you don't have feelings you've already thought, assumed, and rationalized." Her grin widened. "But . . . because you want to get rid of me, so Sora, Donald, and Goofy don't see, then you _do _care what they think. . . ."

The yellow-eyed teen frowned. "How do you know their names?" She shook her head. "I don't care what they think! But if they see me with you, it'll raise questions, and could keep us here longer than necessary. It's a nuisance, that's all."

The blonde wraith lowered her hand from her chin and regarded Hikari directly. "Is that right? Then tell me why you even care to stay with them; why you care if they live, or die. Answer me why you hesitate each time you call them your 'allies,' instead of friends." She noticed an addition to the heartless girl's countenance. "Why you sweat as I point out truths you've been denying. . . ."

As Hikari frowned and raised a hand to check the unwitting perspiration on her temple, the wraith's eyes softened, and she smiled minutely in satisfaction. "It's working. Little by little, but even if that's the truth . . . hn."

"What?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"I won't, because I can't."

"Nonsense, course ya can. You're not as Heartless as you think."

Hikari's frown deepened. "You're not making sense—!"

"Hiki?"

"—!" The sudden vocalization drew Hikari's cognizance, though she only turned her head to the side, barely sparing the owner a glance. Just exiting the tent through its flap, Sora stood before it. Donald and Goofy were coming out as well, flanking him.

She turned her gaze in front of her, where the blonde wraith had manifested, but she was no longer present. She closed her mouth and loosened her hands. "How . . . strange. . . ."

"What is?" came Sora's voice once more.

Glancing to her side, she reached up and adjusted her bangs, fixing them so the markings around her eyes would remain hidden . . . for the time being. Only a moment later did she turn to face them and lower her hand, showing how her eyes were mostly obscured, but some yellow was visible through the part above her left eye. She regarded him with indifference as she shook her head and replaced her kunai into her pouch.

Sora smiled. "We were beginning to wonder when you'd come back." He appeared to visibly relax as he took a step forward, but Hikari's indifference made him dither. Their last encounter, their disagreement in the Gummi, flashed through his mind: _"We're not friends. I don't __**have**__ friends."_

He hesitated, crossed his arms, and averted his gaze, feeling blood rush to his face. His mouth was in a small pout. He was not the type to typically hold grudges, and it would not be right to construe he was currently; which was the reason why he seemed awkward. "Hmph. Where've you been? Did you find our rocket?"

"The correct term is 'Gummi Ship,'" she replied. "And yeah, I did. It's about an hour or two—," she thought for a moment and pointed between her right and posterior, "—that way. Surprisingly, its damage is minor enough to fly out of here. Which is good, because half our Gummi block stock is gone."

Donald's eyes widened. "_Half?_ Of everything?"

"Mostly out of the Gummi blocks," she repeated. "Chip 'n' Dale are taking inventory of the rest. Most of our personal possessions should be alright, since they were more inside the Gummi while the blocks were stored in outer compartments. It will take too much time to find everything that's lost, though. If we go now, we can help finish taking stock quicker and leave by morning, probably."

Jane's voice cut in directly behind, startling the male trio. She had come through the flap somewhere in the midst of Hikari's speaking. "And leave during the night? Nonsense!" The boys jumped. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing; canvas is rather thin and doesn't block sound very well. . . . But we couldn't possibly let you go out now. You can stay right here in the camp. We should have extra sleeping bags. . . ."

The Professor and Kiba came out of the tent. Automatically, the Professor sided with his daughter. "She's right, you know. Kiba, you're welcome to stay as well."

"Don't mind if I do, Archie!" Kiba stretched. "You guys could use another escort, for now, since Clayton . . . you know."

The rest of the group quieted, averting their eyes in discomfort. Hikari realized then that the hunter was not present. Minutely curious, she crossed her arms and questioned, "The hunter . . . what happened to him?"

"He was actually hired as an escort," Jane corrected. Her big green eyes narrowed and she held her elbows, staring at the ground. Her voice was grave. "But I suppose you are right. . . . He didn't want to _study_ gorillas . . . he came along to _hunt_ them."

The Professor nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid I misjudged him. He went along with Tarzan and Sora in order to find the gorilla's nesting grounds. He nearly got a gorilla at the Tree House, but he was thankfully unsuccessful; with due credit to Donald."

Kiba stood casually with his arms back and his hands laced behind his neck. Akamaru rested on top of his head. Although he had positioned himself coolly, his expression was hardened, exhibiting his disgust. "But it didn't end there. He tried to use the Heartless, brought them here and then sent them after the gorillas. . . ."

Hikari reacted to his mentioning the assembling of Heartless. She averted her eyes, knowing that if it were not for _her_ summoning them, they would not have been present for the hunter to utilize; as he was native to a world sans prior Heartless disturbance, from what she understood, he would not have known about them to be able to convene them himself.

A moment later, since no one was picking up where Kiba had trailed off, she continued, "So . . . the Heartless claimed his heart, huh?"

There was a pause, but everyone nodded.

"I see. . . ."

The Porters had just enough sleeping bags for everyone. They were set up outside, with naught but the starry sky as their canopy. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were lined up three in a row whereas the shinobis' were a smidgen distanced.

Of the afore-mentioned trio, solely one was later not in a deep slumber. The Keybearer lied on his back, staring up at the sky, thinking of the day's events; namely, his and Hikari's disagreement, seeing Kairi (or at least thinking he had seen her. . . .), and that blonde girl in what he could only explain as a dream. Absolutely none of it made sense to him.

He considered the possibility that Hikari was angry with him for some reason, but could not configure a reason wherefore. Kairi must have been an illusion of some sort, but when he had inquired to the Professor about jungle fever, he had laughed it off and replied that he was in perfect health. As for the girl . . . even if it was a dream, he had no recollection of falling asleep. Moreover, there had been that painful jolt again in his chest, like she had been _clutching_ it to pull him under. . . .

Sora sighed and turned on his side. Drowsily, he closed his eyes and folded his arms for use as a pillow. This day had been, without a doubt, the longest of his life . . . thus far.

**

* * *

**

The precipitation of the shower painfully struck nerves all over Orochimaru's arms. Blood coming from cracks and breaks in the skin was picked up by the water and brought down to the drain. Orochimaru was groaning and trembling; his muscles were tightened in agony. He had managed to lift one of his arms to brace him on the wall of the rain locker.

Kabuto stood in the doorway, regarding his master's contour on the neon green shower curtain; a pattern of black widow spiders decorated it. With hard eyes, he thought, _Sending the Sound Four to Deep Jungle might not have been the smartest move; they're taking too much time to find her. Sakon's body could've sufficed. . . . He's not going to last, at this rate._

Orochimaru opened his eyes in a squint and grit his teeth. "Where is she? Useless girl . . . !"

"No word has come in from the Sound Four indicating that they've even found her yet," he answered. "But you have no time. That old man, the Third Hokage—his jutsu was stronger than we thought, and it's really taken its toll now!" Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed. "My lord, you're out of time. We can't wait for her, either."

The ailing man's snaky countenance contorted with frustration and pain. He flashed back to three years before, when his arms had been afflicted by the kinjutsu rendering them useless. It appeared like the very souls of his arms had been pulled and then cut from his body. They were virtually deceased. _Curse you, Old Man! CURSE YOU!_

"First Sasuke? Then her?" he hissed. "Then who? Who _is_ here?"

". . . I—"

A high-pitched screech rang through the manor, drawing their attention skyward. It was the doorbell, rung by Lock, Shock, and Barrel at the entrance to the Evil Playroom; a neon green door with an evil smile drawn onto it. They were in their bathtub, sitting on top of a black bag decorated with orange jack-o-lanterns, where the man they had found was stored. Lock stood and they all chorused, "Trick or treat!"

Their vocalizations carried to the men through a giant megaphone-like device in the next room. Kabuto frowned. "Those runts. . . ."

Lock's voice came. "We found one!"

"A guy with that 'Katra' stuff—!" Barrel's voice was interrupted by the sound of fist impacting flesh. "Ow!"

"_Chakra!"_ Shock reprimanded. She sighed, "I wish my cohorts weren't so dumb."

"You're the dumb one!"

"You're no fun."

A cold smile crossed Kabuto's lips as the trio bickered. An entirely new body, one that had not been subjected to experimentation was ideal indeed, despite what the strength of the host might be. Good fortune was with them seemingly.

He turned toward the shower and said, "It appears those runts found one. Looks like you won't lose everything after all. I'll retrieve it with the Oogie body. And then, I'll see to Hikari. Leave everything to me." With that said, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him; on the other side, he could hear Orochimaru cursing the Hokage.

**

* * *

**

The jungle night was rather quiet around the camp; most of the animals knew of a human, alien presence and gave it a wide berth. However, brave souls hunted their smaller prey with no regard for the settlement. Despite the nigh reticence, Hikari found herself wide awake after the others had been slumbering for a few hours.

It was not that she was not tired. Her body ached, and her eyelids felt leaded. She wanted nothing more than to sleep; as she had not had the luxury of dreams or the burden of nightmares, she would escape from thought and speculation, in the least.

Odd; she noted fleetingly that her views were skirting angst. Because she knew her actions versus the Sound Four would be construe as deplorable? She was unsure. Definitely she could understand her—allies would have had a few questions if they had seen. . . .

The yellow-eyed teen sat up, resting her elbows on her knees; beneath her the sleeping bag remained unopened. Quietly she glanced behind her where Sora, Donald, and Goofy were snoring. Then, she looked beside her; out of habit, there was a space just large enough for a small white dog to lay. The sleeping bag next to her was empty.

". . . ."

She rubbed her eyes and proceeded to stand, fixing her hair so it mostly covered her eyes. Walking around with her vision virtually obscured was a great inconvenience, particularly during the night, but a piece of her—the same piece that increasingly produced occurrences of memory-manifested "emotions"—made her think it necessary.

Near where the sleeping bags were set up was the cargo pile; Hikari silently walked toward it, attempting not to awaken the others. She climbed up the pile until she could see over the top; a few rows down, Kiba sat with Akamaru resting on his shoulder.

The brunette appeared to have heard her, since he turned and met her gaze. "Oh, it's you. Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head and twisted to rest an arm on the highest box. She rubbed her eyes. "I've given up, for now. Guess I'm not that tired."

He stretched his arms out in front of him and yawned, crossing his legs. "That makes one of us."

"You volunteered for sentry duty. You shouldn't complain."

He glanced back at her narrowly. "You've changed. A lot colder than you used to be. You were maybe a little . . . detached, sometimes, but now I'm gettin' random flashbacks to _Sasuke._" There was no response, so he continued. "Being separated from everyone really shook ya—," he looked at her over his shoulder, "—didn't it?"

She raised a leg onto a box level with where she sat and set her hand on her knee. Her eyes glanced over the three summon gems and Inferno Band. Kiba saw her shake her head. "Not really. I didn't have many people to miss, so I don't. The only one I truly want to find is my brother, so I can. . . ." She shut her mouth.

". . . So you can what?"

". . . ."

"I knew it! You're hiding something. People change, but you've changed too much. Even the essence of your scent seems weird to me," he stated. Softer, scratching between Akamaru's ears, he said, "Akamaru won't even tell me what it is, though I know he can sense it better than me."

A small smile tugged at Hikari's lip. "Is that right? Well, even if I were hiding something, don't expect me to fess up; then there would've been no point in past silence. Akamaru's probably not telling you what it is because there's nothing."

"No, I know when he's lying, and he's lying when he says he doesn't know why you're different." Annoyance was apparent in his voice. "So it's something; and since you're dodging the question it must have something to do with Naruto—and finding him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find out you're hiding something!"

"No, just a bag of fleas and Jungle Boy—,"Akamaru's bark and Kiba's exclamation interrupted her thought. Emotionlessly, though one could also construe sarcasm, she retorted, "Kindly, drop the subject. It would be greatly appreciated."

Kiba scoffed at the condescending remark but quieted, staring in front of him; a vein pulsed on his forehead. Sulking, he leaned his head back and looked up at the sky, staring up at all the stars. Since they were in the jungle, away from artificial light, only the stars and the moon illuminated the night. In some patches of the sky, there seemed to be more stars than blackness whereas bald spots were randomly interspersed.

Hikari turned her back toward his and also leaned her head back, looking at the sky. Given, her expression held much less emotion than his; neither of their thoughts could be read by an outside source. Akamaru was now at the boy's side instead of on his shoulder and nuzzled his arm, calming him.

Their reticence was long and solely combated by the random cricket or predatory actions far enough from the encampment that it bothered neither of them. They both simply stared at the stars, one considering whilst the other calmed.

The brunette's expression softened. When they were kids in Konoha, they had sometimes snuck out of their homes and met in the park; all him, Akamaru, Hikari, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji. They would play, talk, and regard the stars.

"Even though it's the same sky, it seems so different . . . ," he murmured.

". . . ?"

"When we were kids . . . it seems like there were more stars then than now. Streetlights probably would've made less appear while you're there, but . . . there's nothin' like that here, and it seems like there's less." Beside him, Akamaru lifted his chin to regard the sky too.

"Our world was once one of those stars. Those stars are all worlds . . . the King noticed that the stars were blinking out, and deduced more worlds were disappearing into darkness at an alarming rate. Sora . . . he's supposed to be able to do something about it, but I don't see it in him yet.

"Oops. Looks like I'm meddling. Wasn't supposed to let you in on that." The yellow-eyed teen lowered her stare, gazing toward her party. "Yeah, there are a lot of black patches in the sky, but there are still many points of light . . . all worlds that Naruto or Hinata could be on."

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth in awe; the slit irises dances across the sclera, taking in the vast blanket. "There's so many . . . ." He looked down at Akamaru and scratched behind his ears. There was a half-smile baring his teeth. "I guess I was lucky you found me, huh? But I'm not givin' up on her." He glanced up once more. "With mine 'n' Akamaru's noses, and my heart, I'll find her, once I make one of those Gummi things. . . ."

Hikari closed her eyes and sunk back a little, leaning her head back on a crate; she curled up one leg comfortably.

"Still . . . a little disheartening, isn't it?"

She opened her eyes. "What is?"

"That there are so many worlds, a lotta places they can be . . . what if we never find them?"

". . . Not an option." She lifted her head and straightened, staring into space sans any emotion but a flash of resolve. In a subconscious movement, she brought her fingers up to her face, just beneath her eye and on the purple shadow. Her lips pursed for a millisecond and her eyes flinched narrower before that hand went down to where her heart would be. "Kiba . . . when you introduced me to the Professor, you said we're childhood friends, isn't that right?"

He nodded and quirked a brow. "Uh-huh. . . . What, you don't think we were?"

"Didn't say that." _I didn't realize. . . ._ She glanced down, hiding her eyes beneath her lashes. "But friends . . . they're supposed to be able to say things to each other, in confidence, and it's supposed to be . . . 'safe,' isn't that right? Friends, they . . . tell secrets. I can trust you?"

"Yeah . . . are you saying you want to tell me what you're hiding after all?" He sneered. "I'm all ears. You can trust me."

She closed her mouth and thought it over for a moment, still in consideration. One hand went to her chest while the other reached into her shurikon holster, just in case. "The reason why I have to find my brother is not as simple as missing him, or any 'sibling bond.' . . . We weren't perfect twins.

"You want to know the truth, isn't that right? Well, there's a Heartless inside my brother. It's been there, sealed, for his entire life. You would know it as the Nine-tailed Fox." Kiba's stare forward turned somber. "The day our world was destroyed, the Heartless broke out of its seal and took him over. In the end, I think he's to blame for a big part of why The Land of Shurikon and Kunai fell.

"I was there when he transformed fully. . . . I've had a void in my chest, ever since. I can't be disheartened, because I don't have a heart; Naruto stole it from me three years ago. I'm looking for him so I can have it back."

The brunette's eyes widened considerably as the word "heartless" registered in his mind. His first instinct was to attack her; he had turned and his muscles were tightened as he readied to vault to the other side when Akamaru's nose touched his arm. The cold against his skin relaxed his expression from a glare to surprise as he regarded the dog, and the dog stared right back.

". . . ." Akamaru's whimper drew him to soften his gaze; they communicated without words, sans anything but a sort of telepathy even Hikari had not been able to achieve with the dog. He hunkered and slid down, turning so he could lean his back against the crate.

A brief silence passed. ". . . Guess that makes sense now, in a way. I was joking when I asked about your heart."

"I'm aware. . . ." Hikari looked back at him over her shoulder, tentatively removing her hand from her shurikon holster. "Hn. I'd expected you to attack me. . . . You're the first person I've told. Donald, Goofy, the King . . . they're more like humans, and don't really have 'animal instinct,' so they never guessed; and I never told."

". . . Thank Akamaru. He trusts you, so I figured . . . I should too. I mean, the guys you're with don't have that dark stench, so they can't be Heartless. . . . You haven't taken their hearts, yet."

"And I don't plan on it. Those guys are my fr. . . ." She closed her mouth and gazed over at them; they were sound asleep, lost to their dreams. The girl lowered her head and glanced to the side as Donald kicked at imaginary demons, and she remembered what she had said to Sora before they had crashed into Deep Jungle. ". . . Everyone needs allies; I'd rather they be of the light, not the dark. The only heart I have interest in is mine."

Kiba snorted. "'Is that right' . . . ? Better." He leaned his head back and gazed up at the sky. "You better. . . ."

The girl closed her mouth, wondering if she should have kept it so, when she looked over at Sora once more. He wore a silly smile on his face, appearing like a happy drunk as he hugged himself and murmured Kairi's name. She gave the softest of smiles, speculating as she toyed with her newest summon gem.

"Hey. . . ."

"Huh?" Hikari glanced back at Kiba.

"Didn't you say something earlier 'bout a cricket with a top hat being one of your allies? Don't remember seein' him."

". . . Oh, Jiminy. . . . Hmm." She stared forward again, mostly disinterested. "Wonder what happened to him."

**

* * *

**

"Helloooo? Hello? Sora? Hikari . . . ? Now where in the world could they be?" voiced Jiminy Cricket into the jungle with no response. Walking on a branch very high above the floor with his umbrella in hand, he searched with his heavy eyes, determined to spot his companions yet tired indeed.

He came to the edge of a branch and jumped off, opening his umbrella in order to smoothly sail down on the force of air resistance. His melancholy eyes drowsily gazed around him; since it was night and very little moonlight had made it through the breaks in the canopy, he could not see much. On the trunk of the tree on which he landed next, however, at the end of the branch he saw a small knothole where he could spend the night.

"Well," he began, "I guess I'll just have to look again in the morning. . . ."

Unknown by him, Heartless were dancing along the floor below him, searching for their forbidden fruit.

**End of Chapter Fourteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Fifteen: Chasing Butterflies

"Yeah." Goofy approached and slung his arms around the three of them—boy, duck, and girl—with his goofy chuckle. Everyone was pulled close together and could not help but smile. "All for one, huh?"

Hikari's eyes softened in the embrace of friendly warmth, feeling a familiar, yet at the same time alien, warmth on her cheeks. If the smile were fake, or "memory-manifested," it would have been the most convincing of fabrications. "Of course."

* * *

**Thanks to narcotic-lullaby, Ultima Phoenix, Yorukifon, and Akumu for reviewing :) Especially regularly. Thanks to Ace for beta-reading, and thanks to everyone for taking the time to read. God bless.**


	15. Chasing Butterflies

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "Helloooo? Hello? Sora? Hikari . . . ? Now where in the world could they be?" voiced Jiminy Cricket into the jungle with no response. Walking on a branch very high above the floor with his umbrella in hand, he searched with his heavy eyes, determined to spot his companions yet tired indeed.

He came to the edge of a branch and jumped off, opening his umbrella in order to smoothly sail down on the force of air resistance. His melancholy eyes drowsily gazed around him; since it was night and very little moonlight had made it through the breaks in the canopy, he could not see much. On the trunk of the tree on which he landed next, however, at the end of the branch he saw a small knothole where he could spend the night.

"Well," he began, "I guess I'll just have to look again in the morning. . . ."

Unknown by him, Heartless were dancing along the floor below him, searching for their forbidden fruit.

**Chapter Fifteen: Chasing Butterflies**

Oogie Manor was a large estate with a substantial rock base in the center of a small valley. Structured with roots, it sinuously rose as though a part of a gargantuan spooky forest. Large cage lanterns hung off "branches" or stuck to the side of the wooden ramp swirling around the "trunk."

A Powerwild climbed up the ramp, sliding along as it applied its sensory capabilities. Unlike most Heartless, this one—at the moment—was not in search of hearts. Darkness of the heart was the scent trail it followed; however its mission included a small parcel squeezed in its tumored fist.

The Heartless came up to the neon green entrance of the Evil Playroom and stopped fleetingly, staring up at the frightfully evil smile. A moment later, the door opened for it, allowing its passage.

Similar in design to a Roulette wheel, the chamber had a yellow, centered device around which the disk with multiple compartments would spin. In the compartments were pink and green shapes within which were the shadows of bugs, skeletons, skulls, and other Halloween motifs. Around the Roulette wheel were dangerously exciting traps and devices of tortuous toying.

The door closed behind the Powerwild, thus it continued around the upper level that the devices were stored beneath. Black lights, lighted jack-o-lanterns, and a couple hexagon tiles with skulls lighted the way.

On the side of the room vertical to the threshold was a chair in which the newly reincarnated Orochimaru sat. For the first time in years, he was not suffering the deathly agony of inutile, ailing arms.

Bandages nearly concealed his new countenance; a majority of his pallid skin that would not have been hidden by his yukata was in medical dressings. Short and silver, his hair no longer stuck to his skin with sweat. A single part of his visage was seeable: his purple-shadowed, yellow iris, slit pupil, right eye.

Arriving at Orochimaru's feet, the Powerwild stopped. The man leaned forward, meeting its expressionless stare with his inquisitive scowl. When the Heartless lifted its parcel, the man took it in his hand and watched the monkey-like creature disappear in a small, black portal.

The black light in the Evil Playroom caused most of the lighter colors to glow eerily. The white from Orochimaru's bandages almost appeared to give of their own light, like the moon did in capturing the light of the sun; his iris, if not for the pupil, would have resembled the eye of a Heartless almost precisely.

He unrolled the parcel and regarded the inscription with curiosity, yet mostly disinterest. The message was short, written in a brownish red liquid that he recognized to be blood.

Within moments, he finished reading and narrowed his eye. Behind his mummy wrappings, his mouth curled into a darkly amused smile. Frivolously, he tossed the note behind him and chuckled in a nigh sinister fashion. "Little Hikari Uzumaki thinks she can kill me, is that right?

"How shameful. The Sound Four didn't complete their objective. . . ." He leaned back in his chair and opened his eye, regarding the torture devices of the Roulette wheel and feeling a little remorseful for the sole fact that his ninja died before completing their task. "Perhaps bereavement of heart has led her to be a little more ruthless . . . but she is no threat to me."

The message fluttered down behind his chair, sailing, curving, and looping on the resistance of air. Eventually, it settled on the ground facing up. It read: _"Try to take me again, and it'll be your blood, your heart, and your life._—_Hikari Uzumaki"_

**

* * *

**

A cavern deep within the heart of Elephant Falls was illuminated by a natural sky light on the high ceiling of rock. There was a tree on the back wall that rose to a greater height. Despite that the sun appeared to reach solely part of it, it seemed to thrive. Moss and greens on the floor were shaded completely.

A large clan of butterflies rested on one point of the trunk, catching the light of the sun with their cerulean wings; subsequently, a light blue glow tinted the cavern. Tarzan led Jane, Sora, Donald, Goofy, the Professor, Kiba and Akamaru, and Hikari inside.

"*&&X%," grunted the ape man, regarding the space. It was small, but not too small for the present group; there was hardly a sense of claustrophobia.

Coming up behind him, Sora inquired, "This is your home? But that means. . . ."

Tarzan put a hand to his ear, and everyone quieted as they listened also. The cavern was on the backside of the falls, so the roar of that water's descent echoed for them. Lowering his hand, the ape man regarded forward.

He grunted once more; then spoke in slow English. "*&&X%. Friends there. See friends."

A momentary silence commenced, soon broken by Jane's epiphany. "Ohh, now I've got it. '*&&X%' means 'heart.' Friends in our hearts. . . ."

Tarzan tried the word with little strain, "Heart. . . ."

Sora was noticeably disappointed. His eyes were lowered and he shifted. "Oh, so that's what it meant."

Toward the back wall, with the Professor and Donald, Kiba smiled sheepishly. He scratched the back of his neck, beneath where Akamaru's tail rested. "Didn't think to have you tell me what he said . . . could've translated it for you earlier. Sorry."

No one responded. Hikari stepped closer to the center with her chin lifted. Scanning the beautiful space, she asked lightly, "Why've you brought us here?"

There was a pause as Tarzan processed her request. His reply, however, was not in answer to her query. "Friends, same heart. Clayton, _lose_ heart. No heart, no see friends. . . . No heart, no friends."

Hikari remained still after the poignant statement, narrowing her gaze at the light. She touched Inferno Band, gently brushing it with her fingertip. _That's what I thought . . . I have no heart, so I have no friends. But. . . ._ She blocked thoughts of reconsideration.

The repositioning of her hand by someone else shook her from speculation to reality. Ready to protest, she turned and watched Tarzan tug her and Sora closer to one another; he took their hands and pressed their palms together.

"Hiki, Sora, friends."

Their hands grew warm, their palms blocked from truly touching by Sora's white glove. Each stared at the meeting, marinating what the ape man had said; each could remember how it contradicted expressions previously spoken.

_"We're not friends. I don't __**have**__ friends. . . . I—__**can't**__—have friends."—"Fine! Then we aren't!"_

Their gazes hardened, avoiding eye contact. Suffusion spawned from embarrassment and possibly some anger was visible in pink on Sora's cheeks. Returning to contemplation, Hikari's eyes fell on where Inferno Band and Brave Warrior, resting on their wrists, touched.

Her thoughts wandered toward the blonde wraith, and what she had mused; namely that Hikari was not as heartless as she thought and she and Sora were in fact friends. She reasoned it was probably coincidence the blonde and Tarzan seemed to have the same idea. _She was right . . . about a lot, I won't deny . . . but there's still one flaw that can't be overlooked. . . ._

"But . . . maybe . . . ," she muttered quietly, hardly loud enough to catch the brunette's attention, ". . . all this time, is it possible that I've been wrong?"

She continued to gaze at the bracelets. She could remember the concern with which Sora had regarded her when he renounced it in Olympus Coliseum; his seemingly unwarranted worry about her. He had claimed that, despite not knowing its specific properties, it would aid her in future battles, much like Brave Warrior had for him.

At the time, she had not known what to think. When she had him wear Brave Warrior, it had been with the thought that the Keyblade's chosen should not be weak and it would help him in that respect; she thought of it as safety for the Key, safety for the "hero." That was then.

In consideration of how he had presented Inferno Band to her, and how he did not need her the way she or the worlds needed him, he thought of it differently. One ally among many was expendable; with the presence of Donald and Goofy, it was not a far stretch of the imagination to conclude she was not needed at all. Subsequently, for what reason would he care?

The answer was on the tip of her tongue. Some of the butterflies broke away from the tree and flew around them. From behind her bangs, her mostly visible eyes raised to meet Sora's. He regarded her curiously, not realizing a butterfly landed on his chest. "Because . . . a _friend_ isn't expendable . . . ?"

—_The girl was seven, perhaps eight, years of age. She had paroxysmal, glittering, stone-grey eyes full of hot tears that pooled and leaked onto her cheeks. Little and blonde, she sat on a platform made of stained glass centered in a dark void. She had shifted her kimono-style shirt, looking at a bruise over her heart._

_A trio of bright, blue-winged butterflies danced across the front of her, swirled around her head until they gained her undivided attentiveness. Leaving her bruise alone, she rubbed her arm against the tracks of her tears and stood on the glass marked with Orochimaru and Kimimarou's countenance. She watched the butterflies fly around her head once more before flapping toward the darkness._

_She opened her mouth and voiced a plea to have them stay, though no sound actually left her mouth; they continued on. When they left the platform, squares made of mosaic stained glass began to create a bridge in the darkness. As it formed, it inclined a little, up toward a higher platform._

_Without another moment's hesitation, she followed up the glass, chasing the blue butterflies. The second platform bore the image of four boys around her age: Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru, Chouji, and Shikamaru._

_She stopped at the top of the bridge and saw a door on the other side. Her smile changed to a mystic expression, awed by the fantastic glow. Approaching it slowly, she watched the butterflies land on the door's frame. On the other side of the closed door, there appeared to be nothing but blackness._

_Tentatively, she brushed her fingers against the handle. Swallowing, she regarded the butterfly at eye level. The door was split down the middle, thus she held onto each handle. She opened the door, and was bathed in light._—

Sora opened his mouth to reply when the butterfly from his chest flapped its way to Hikari's face. He watched as it landed on the bridge of her nose. It spread its wings fleetingly, covering her yellow eyes, and then flew away, seeming to reveal a different colored iris. She shook her bangs from her eyes and followed its flight path.

In the middle of light violet shadows and white sclera, sure enough, were grey irises.

Tarzan's hand left theirs, allowing their palms to remain together of their own will. Lingering for a moment, they curled the corners of their mouths, smiling both awkwardly and genuinely. Butterflies fluttered around them, filling the space of the cavern with light luminously reflecting from their cerulean wings.

"Sorry about what I said."

The two broke their eye contact, realizing it was neither of them that had spoken. Sora looked at his right (Hikari's left) and separated their palms, lowering his hand to his side. He rubbed the back of his head, blushing as he gazed down toward Donald. "I'm sorry too."

"Yeah." Goofy approached and slung his arms around the three of them—boy, duck, and girl—with his goofy chuckle. Everyone was pulled close together and could not help but smile. "All for one, huh?"

Hikari's eyes softened in the embrace of friendly warmth, feeling a familiar, yet at the same time alien, warmth on her cheeks. If the smile were fake, or "memory-manifested," it would have been the most convincing of fabrications. "Of course."

The entire butterfly clan left the tree trunk and took to the empty space. They glowed less brightly, for it was not truly their light. Cerulean wings brushed against the quartet and rose, flapping up toward the sky light. In the trunk of the tree, amongst the vine, emitting a blue light, a Keyhole was revealed.

Sora stepped toward the Keyhole, smoothly sliding from under Goofy's arm. His Keyblade, in a flash of light, appeared in his hand. He approached the tree and raised his Keyblade, leveling it so the tip pointed directly into the head of the Keyhole. A beam of light connected them, and it sounded like something clicked closed. A Gummi block dropped from the Keyhole.

"Ohh. . . ." When Sora had left, Goofy had lowered his arms from Donald and Hikari. Upon seeing the Gummi block, the latter proceeded toward the tree in order to pick it up. Examining it in her left hand, she pulled the Navi-G that the quartet had obtained from the Keyhole in Wonderland from her kunai pouch and compared them, side-by-side.

She looked at Sora and turned a little so she could speak to Goofy and Donald as well. "Well, it's not the king's, but—," she rose both blocks, showing they were identical, "—these are both Navigation Gummi blocks. Remember I said they come in pairs? They're the same." She put the blocks into her pouch. "We have our heading. . . ."

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, in the titled Hollow Bastion, a conclave of unscrupulous rapscallions and varlets had come together. They gathered in the Castle Chapel, the center of which was a round table colored cerulean and rimmed chartreuse. The darkness hardly gave the colors due credit; it appeared as though most of the light came from a glowing green circle in the center, bearing a holographic image of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari.

A sinister, almost snaky voice spoke; there was a hint of an Arabian accent. "What drew the Heartless to that world?"

The woman who answered him was a witch with sea foam green skin and blood-red lips matching long fingernails. She had intense eyes, shadowed by purple up to her eyebrows and bearing a small black iris blending with her pupil. Her robes were black with a high collar, wide sleeves, and length that touched the floor and trailed behind her. Deep lavender colored the rims of her sleeves, trim, and collar. She also wore a hood-like apparatus which kept thick horns on her head and she carried a scepter with a chartreuse orb.

"That Heartless girl summoned them, but they lingered per the hunter. It was his lust for power that was the bait." She approached the table, standing across from a man with many facial piercings and dressed in a black coat with red clouds. "But it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good."

Another voice, deep and rather throaty, laughed. "Yeah, he got chomped instead!"

The first voice spoke once more as he came into view. "A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless." He wore a black turban with a red feather and had tanned skin. Most of his features were long and skinny, though the cape of his robe tried to broaden the appearance of his shoulders. He held a gold staff in his hand, the head of which was shaped as a cobra's.

"But the boy is a problem. He found on the Keyholes."

"Ha! Two Keyholes. Or did you forget how to count? Wonderland," one of the multiple holograms within the room spoke. There was little to distinguish between them, for the only differences between them were their shapes and eyes; they all seemed to be wearing robes in the shape of the one with clouds, but one could not tell for sure.

The witch cooed, "Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest." In the green circle, Jiminy was shown to rest on Sora's shoulder. He was grinning, saying something that was not heard by the council. "Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."

"Of course . . . no mistakes." The pierced man regarded the image of Sora with stoic, rippled eyes. On the contrary, his voice was full of resolve. "Remember what we seek . . . everything, including domination!"

Red lips on the witch's visage curled into a smile as she glanced to the side. "Speaking of which. . . ."

Two girls were ushered inside by unseen hands. Alice, the younger of them, gazed around the room with wide eyes and apparent fear; she swallowed as she realized the sheer size of the assembly. There was a thud next to her that made her glance down at her companion.

Dirt, bruises, and scabbing cuts covered the other girl as she lay on the ground. She wore a clip with her short green hair and had pink irises that were visible through a squint. Her waterfall headband was tied around her right arm. White armlets went from chest level to her wrist; that is, one did whereas the other was rolled halfway down her arm. A fishnet waistband was partially evident under a high, sleeveless white shirt. She wore fishnet shorts and a white cloth around her hips.

Some components of her ensemble were torn and dirty; she appeared as if she had fought for her life, and, seemingly, lost.

**

* * *

**

A few more hours were spent in Deep Jungle before Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari departed. The Chipmunks had completed inventory, counting their deficits to mainly be of the random Gummi blocks, as anticipated. Hikari administered a few pressing repairs that could not wait until they visited a proper Gummi Garage. Also, she had installed the Navi-Gs so they would know where to head next.

Auto-pilot was undamaged; therefore Hikari would be able to leave the steers alone when adversarial threat was not present. Sadly, the case of radar was different; since there would be no prior warning of said attack-type, lest physically seen, someone had to keep vigil.

Doing precisely that, Hikari "chilled" in the pilot's seat, comfortably leaning back and resting her feet on the edge of the control panel. Her hands rested in her lap; her thumb stroked the back of her other hand absently whilst she stared out into the stars with hazy _grey_ eyes.

Normally, she would be petting Akamaru. She felt . . . odd, per that factor. She did not know what to think, so she thought of other things (anything.) Soon, her mind would lose occupancy. . . .

There was the sound of a flushing toilet. Sora came from the back of the Gummi, rubbing his eyes. He yawned and stretched toward the roof, dragging his bare heels across the floor. For the purpose of sleeping, he had taken off his small jacket as well; since the red jumpsuit was sleeveless, his arms were bare.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hikari and paused. He blinked and pried his eyes open a little more, attempting to awaken his attentiveness. He walked into the cockpit area and approached her; as he slid more than stepped, there was no stealth in his movement. By the time he stood at the corner of her chair, Hikari was twisted so she could see him.

"Hiki . . . why aren't you in bed?"

She raised a brow and moved her arms; at some point, she had loosely begun to hold herself. "The radar's broken, remember? Someone should stay up."

"Oh, yeah." He scratched the back of his head. An awkward silence followed. He glanced at her; she was gazing outward once more. By the purse of her lips, and the furrow of her brow, she seemed to be at unease; in a sense, lonely.

He thought back to their valedictions on Deep Jungle. When Hikari had to leave Akamaru behind in the hands of his true owner, Kiba, she had seemed sad—he remembered thinking she could have been missing him already then. He could deduce that was the reason for her uneasiness. . . .

In an attempt to lighten the mood, he teased, "I thought this Gummi runs on happy faces?"

The girl snorted and curled her lip. "Is that why it feels like it's crawling?"

He shrugged and sat in the next seat over. "Don't know. Aren't you the mechanic?"

"Pilot, too, but . . . point taken."

Silent once more, Sora leaned back into the chair and turned it toward Hikari. He let his eyes wander around, not quite sure what else to say. He had the aforementioned inkling of what made her seem dejected, but the last time he had asked her outright, she had been upset with him. . . . Then, he noticed her shurikon holster and brightened.

"Hey, can I see one of your knife-thingies? Or the stars?"

". . . ." She twisted toward him and gave him a questioning gaze. "My kunai and shurikon?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

". . . why?"

He averted his eyes and tried to produce an answer. "Er. . . ."

Shaking her head, she conceded. "Never mind." So she could reach into her kunai pouch, she lowered her feet from the control panel and leaned forward. Once a kunai was procured, she hesitated and handed it to him, making sure it was the loop-end. "Careful with it."

The blue eyes of the brunette marveled as he handled it initially with respect for sharp edges. His hand—which would normally be gloved—closed around the handle as he held it in front of his face, almost regarding it cross-eyed. "How long've you been able to use these?"

"Awhile . . . one of the first lessons taught to us in the Ninja Academy was how to hold and throw one, when I was six. Been about nine years, I guess." Out of habit, and wonder for his safety, she monitored his handling of the kunai carefully. "You didn't see these with my brother?"

He held the knife up between his pointer fingers precariously. One pad touched the loop whereas the other held the point; because the pressure was very light, no blood was drawn, but it was a hazardous position. His grin was sheepish.

"Um . . . well, I was trying to act like I knew what they were and everything, to be cool around Riku, so . . . I never asked Naruto." Pink tinted his face and he tilted his head, softening his gaze. "I wanted to impress Kairi, too. . . ."

Hikari watched with wary eyes as he poked his finger through the loop end of the kunai and tried twirling it. "Uh-huh. . . ."

Sora watched the swirling kunai dreamily. "Being a ninja must be cool. You get to go on adventures all the time, and still see your friends . . . be with your friends. When this is all over, you still have that to look forward to, after you find your friends—and you've already found Kiba. When I find Riku and Kairi. . . ." He trailed off, thinking to himself.

Pause. "Well . . . it's definitely not as swell as that. My team didn't get many missions outside of the village because as a whole we didn't work well together . . . and our missions weren't really fun 'adventures,' they were serious work. . . . I wouldn't mind having friends to go back to. . . ."

She shifted and looked at him, glancing passed the kunai. Curling her leg under her, she crossed her arms and leaned back; her shoulders rested against the back of the chair once more. "See, I never had much ambition as a ninja. I think . . . I only continued being one because of my brother. When I was with him, I wasn't facing the hatred alone. I couldn't see myself doing much else.

"But my dreams, unlike his, had nothing to do with being a shinobi. I wanted friendship, to be accepted. Not glory, just . . . someone to look at me without knowing and judging my relations."

The kunai stopped twirling but gently swayed with momentum like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Sora's expression had changed from dreamy to pensive, sympathetic. _Hatred . . . ?_

Hikari continued, glancing at Inferno Band and lightly brushing her fingertips against it. "I thought I'd never had it. I was so used to being hated, I didn't realize that all those times when the five of us would skip class and just hang out that they thought of me as a friend—not just Naruto. . . . I didn't know I was distancing myself, I was 'playing along.'"

She drew up one of her legs and rested her heel on the edge; her hands cradled in her lap. "Lately, I've been—feeling what I felt then, for the first time in a long time. Sometimes. . . ." Pink flushed her cheeks as she stared at the floor. "Sometimes, I think I—_feel_ 'happy' around you guys. . . . Something about all of you. . . ."

Swallowing, she brushed her hair behind her ear and glanced up at Sora with dark grey eyes. "Sora . . . I'm sorry about what I said to you; I know that you were trying to help. You're a nice guy—a lot like my brother, actually." She noticed his sheepish blush and smile; momentarily, she dithered.

"But . . . even so, I have my secrets that I must keep—secrets that won't matter later on, but might make you. . . ." She paused and thought back to when she had confessed to Kiba. He had almost attacked her, and definitely would have, had it not been for Akamaru. At the moment, she did not have that assurance. "Might make you hate me, and leave me behind if I tell you now; and I have more than one personal reason for being on this mission."

Her voice held an odd amount of emotion that was uncharacteristic of her. She could feel the stirs in her chest, but forbid herself from checking for the ever-elusive heartbeat. Her words were hesitant in delivery, but she meant each one of them. Now, she spoke in the most serious of tones, wanting him to receive the sincerity of her next statement utmost.

"But know . . . that no matter what I may end up telling you in the future, or don't tell you at all . . . I am your ally, and I am your friend."

Sora's face felt warm. His eyes softened. He felt . . . touched; particularly since earlier on she had declared solely an alliance so coldly. The contradiction, or rather change of heart, made a tender feeling spawn in his chest. He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. ". . . Then you should smile more often."

"Huh?"

"If you're really happy, then you should show it—with one of these." He pointed at his own grin. "Or else I won't believe you."

". . . ." She chuckled. "Okay. Um . . . thanks, Sora. . . ."

"No problem." He grinned.

For a moment, they sat in silence. Hikari twisted away from him, returning to her original position with her feet on the edge of the control panel. Sora leaned forward and yawned, still holding the kunai. Weariness returned to him.

Sleepily, he handed the kunai back and mumbled gratitude. Then, he stood, stretched, and yawned again. When he lowered his arms, he looked at Hikari with a warm, though drowsy, smile. "Well, I'm goin' to bed . . . night."

"Night." She heard him walk away until his light footsteps were drowned by the subtle hum of the Gummi's engine. Contentedly, she sank into her chair, staring out the window. Her elbow rested on the arm of the chair and her fingers brushed against the purple around her eye. No one else had seemed to notice (unless, like Sora, they had dismissed the change, reasoning the color could not have magically changed) the differences of yellow to grey eye color or the purple shadow—but she knew.

These grey eyes were _her_ eyes. The ones she had been born with, the ones she had before her heart was lost. She did not know how she knew; she simply did. She did not know why, or how, the change occurred; it simply had. She did not know for sure why it was easier to smile; it simply was.

She gently narrowed her eyes and felt her lip curl. Her temple rested in her hand and one of her fingers brushed against her eyelashes. "With these eyes . . . everything I see is a little brighter."

**End of Chapter Fifteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Sixteen: Enter Mr. Sandman

The witch watched Iago flap in front of the Heartless and gazed at Jafar once more. She spoke in a bewaring tone, almost seeming to reprimand him. "Don't steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless."

He flippantly laughed. "Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." Turning away from her, he moved to mobilize his Heartless to search when something caught his eye, and his expression turned cross. "What are _you_ doing here? Agrabah is _mine._"

Beneath the shade of an underpass were too figures dressed in black robes with red clouds. The taller of the two reached and touched the rim of his Chinese-style straw hat with teal polished fingers; on his right index finger was a ring with a teal stone bearing the kanji for blue. White strips of cloth that fell all around the rim opened only for his face. He had a slanted blue-grey eye visible below his Stone Village headband. Half of his smirk was concealed by long, blonde bangs.

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Hola, everyone! Welp, I feel accomplished. This is the first time in awhile, it seems, that I've been able to post a chapter in under a month! :D If I'm not mistaken, it's been three months to the day, but even so; with my Junior thesis, it seems nigh impossible XD (I also feel accomplished because for the first time in this year's English class, I was given one-hundred percent on my essay! My teacher grades uber-hard, compared to others! So yeah, ego boost! XD)

Anyway, some things about this chapter :D Um . . . not a whole lot to say. Feel free to ask questions, provide theories, etc. I'm pretty happy about how this chapter turned out; unfortunately, some last minute realizations altered a scene or two, particularly with Orochimaru in the beginning XP Oh, and this entire chapter was written in the brief frame of time in which I had no spellcheck or any of those luxuries, but I'm pretty sure I caught any and all spelling errors (I reread this like ten times, so I better've XD) Some parts of this chapter would've been so much more beautiful visually, I think . . . I hope I was able to convey my mental image :)

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**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review :D**


	16. Enter Mr Sandman

Recappy From the Lasy Chappy: "Night." She heard him walk away until his light footsteps were drowned by the subtle hum of the Gummi's engine. Contentedly, she sank into her chair, staring out the window. Her elbow rested on the arm of the chair and her fingers brushed against the purple around her eye. No one else had seemed to notice (unless, like Sora, they had dismissed the change, reasoning the color could not have magically changed) the differences of yellow to grey eye color or the purple shadow—but she knew.

These grey eyes were _her_ eyes. The ones she had been born with, the ones she had before her heart was lost. She did not know how she knew; she simply did. She did not know why, or how, the change occurred; it simply had. She did not know for sure why it was easier to smile; it simply was.

She gently narrowed her eyes and felt her lip curl. Her temple rested in her hand and one of her fingers brushed against her eyelashes. "With these eyes . . . everything I see is a little brighter."

**Chapter Sixteen: Enter Mr. Sandman**

The desert sun was burning as brightly as always, despite the dark day in Agrabah that it was. Heartless danced about the streets, barging into street shops of the Bazaar and climbing up onto the awnings. A majority of them were Shadows or Bandits; accompanying them were a few Yellow Operas and Green Requiems.

The witch of Hollow Bastion glanced at the incarnations of darkness as she walked with Agrabah's royal vizier. By the expression of disinterest, it appeared she was unimpressed by their efforts. She brushed some sand from the orb of her scepter, raising a light film of dust. "And the Keyhole?"

"The Heartless are searching for it now," replied he. Speaking confidently, reassuring her, he added, "I'm certain we'll find it soon enough. So that just leaves. . . ."

A parrot's caw came from above. That very parrot fluttered down, seemingly tired, and roosted on the vizier's shoulder. He had red feathers, for the most part, though there was blue on his tail and the tips of his wings; some white circled his eyes. "Jafar! I've looked everywhere for Jasmine! She's disappeared like magic!"

Expressing interest, though not necessarily of the positive sort, the witch eyed him. She rubbed her fingertips together, dusting off the sand she had picked up from her scepter, and lowered her hand. Glancing at him side-long, she grimaced, "You said you had things under control."

"Agrabah is full of holes for _rats_ to hide in. But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With her or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole."

Closing her eyes in annoyance, she reminded, "You know our main objective is much greater. She is one of a considerable amount of key components for our true plans; any fewer than all is useless."

"Ahh, yes. Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." Jafar turned away and raised his golden cobra staff. Four more Bandits appeared via portals of darkness. "Find Princess Jasmine and bring her to me at once."

The witch watched Iago flap in front of the Heartless and gazed at Jafar once more. She spoke in a bewaring tone, almost seeming to reprimand him. "Don't steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless."

He flippantly laughed. "Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." Turning away from her, he moved to mobilize his Heartless to search when something caught his eye, and his expression turned cross. "What are _you_ doing here? Agrabah is _mine._"

Beneath the shade of an underpass were two figures dressed in black robes with red clouds. The taller of the two reached and touched the rim of his Chinese-style straw hat with teal polished fingers; on his right index finger was a ring with a teal stone bearing the kanji for blue. White strips of cloth that fell all around the rim opened only for his face. He had a slanted blue-grey eye visible below his Stone Village headband. Half of his smirk was concealed by long, blonde bangs.

"Relax, hmm," he mused, taking down the hat; a half ponytail tied in red, like a loose topknot, was shown. "One of Sasori my man's spies provided intel. There's a jinchuuriki here, hmm." His gaze panned toward Iago.

The parrot jumped midair and shifted his gaze guiltily, obviously embarrassed. He began to fly in circles, avoiding Jafar's eyes.

Twisting his mouth in disgust, the vizier regarded the second figure, Sasori of the Red Sands. The black coat concealed much of his form, making him appear almost like a large blob that crawled across the sand. He had intense eyes that peeked from between the cloths of his straw hat and the black cloth covering the lower half of his face. Most notable of his appearance was an iron tail, pointed and hovering like a scorpion's.

"The one-tail Shukaku, Gaara of the Desert," clarified Sasori in a deep, graveling voice.

There was a flash of recognition across Jafar's face. _The princess's fiancé. . . ._

Sasori continued. "You shouldn't keep others waiting. You have a princess to find, don't you?"

The vizier clicked his tongue and turned away. Iago ceased circling and took the lead of the Heartless; his master followed shortly. The blonde ninja grunted as the wind disturbed his loose accessories.

High above Agrabah, overlooking the aftermath of the Heartless overtaking, was a young boy and girl floating on a cloud of sand. The parted brick red forelocks of the boy eased visibility of red kanji—read as "love"—inscribed on his pale forehead. He gazed down at the city with hardly apparent pupils among his light turquoise irises; his eyes were rimmed with black rings, consistent with a raccoon. His ensemble consisted of full-length dark trousers, a sleeveless red coat with a flaring hemline, a purplish grey vest, and a gourd with a red band strapped to his back.

A stoic expression turned pink as he glanced at his companion. She had wrapped one of her arms around his and regarded the city in horror. Her tanned hand covered her gaping mouth, and her brown eyes were very wide. She was a comely young lady with long, ebony locks tied in a low ponytail with blue ribbon. The short length of her light turquoise top showed an hourglass figure and dainty shoulders. Her long and poofy bedlah pants gave some credit to her legs. Gold earrings hung from her ears and she wore a tiara with a blue stone.

She turned her face away from the sight and closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the boy's shoulder. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Gaara. . . ."

Pink deepened to a light red, seemingly only a few shades lighter than the boy's hair. He swallowed and regarded her softly, brushing his fingers against the sand; he was restraining himself from giving her a tender, friendly touch. "I'll take you somewhere safe, Princess. Fret not."

She lifted her head and negatively shook it. "No! You have to go find Aladdin, tell him what's going on." Her arm loosened from around him as she regarded far into the desert. "He left awhile ago to take care of something, but he hasn't come back." She looked back at Gaara with a furrow in her brow. "I'm worried about him."

He stared at her almost blankly; there was a minuscule annoyance that went unnoticed, a small expression of envy. "Princess, I won't leave you unattended."

A vein twitched in her temple. "I can take care of myself! In spite of what my father thinks—," she cringed a little, "—_thought,_ I am _not_ helpless!" She removed her touch from him and placed her hands in her lap, pouting her lips as she averted her eyes.

". . . ." Gaara's eyes were wide; he had a dithering moment in which no words came to mind for him to respond with. _She's . . . upset._ After a moment of being blindsided, he tenderly said, "Of course you're not. But there's a reason why your father chose me as your betrothed, aside from my blood—because I can protect you."

At the word "betrothed," she reacted, appearing saddened. Her eyes narrowed dejectedly, and she spoke in a hardened voice, as she also did not want to pull her next card: "Jafar may have deposed my father as Sultan, but I can order you as the princess. . . . I want you to make sure he's okay."

The redhead jinchuuriki's black-rimmed eyes went to the sand. There was no gentleness, no smile marking his visage. He was rather stoic, in the long, tense reticence that commenced. Closing his eyelash-lacking eyes, he conceded. "Only for you, Jasmine . . . I will compromise. I will find Aladdin, but I won't leave you alone."

She looked at him curiously, brightening from her despondency. "How?"

"First, you must be hidden."

**

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**

_Wind kissed Hikari's cheek as her body downwardly progressed in the blackness. Since she descended headfirst, the wind also kept the skirts of her dress__—__vertically striped in thin lines of dark blue, light blue, and white__—__from raising to her waist and revealing undergarments. Striped, fingerless gloves covered her hands that hung loosely at her sides. The wind only lightly disturbed her onyx locks; two dark blue bows were tied at her temples, though they did not successfully constrain them._

_Her eyelids fluttered apart, partially unveiling her grey eyes. She could feel the light breeze gently ushering her awake with its cool touch. Her lips parted. ". . . ?"_

_The smoky, seemingly dismembered, head of a cat with an eerily wide grin emerged in front of her. Formed from what had appeared like dissolved particles, his eyes were most prominent, very large and completely blue but for slit pupils. The blue was the same shade of the tiger stripes decorating its silver fur._

_Startled by its materialization through her squinted vision, Hikari's eyes widened and she tried to move away; she succeeded only as far as bending her back away from it. When her eyes had opened completely, she found that she was not falling anymore. Instead, she stood upright on an apparent road formed from yellow, mosaic glass. She turned her head in confusion, seeing it was the only road suspended in darkness. ". . . ?"_

_A bark at her side drew her attentiveness; it had been voiced by a little white dog: Akamaru. The dog panted, wagging his tail as he looked up at her, and then proceeded down the path. Hikari picked up her skirts and trotted after him._

_Awhile after she had begun chasing Akamaru, two figures were seen a small distance forward. They blocked the path ahead as they stood side-by-side, two men with their pinkies linked. Their outfits were identical__—__extremely short, black overalls and T-shirts striped back and white__—__though their countenances were not. Friendly in their disposition, wearing warm smiles, one would feel little reservation about approaching them; however, Hikari did. They were familiar . . . they were Cloud and Leon._

_Cloud and Leon gaily skipped toward her when she did not try to pass and came on either side of her. They linked their arms around hers and skipped along the path, dragging her along with them. Her face was flushed as she tried skipping but found difficulty. Akamaru was still leading the way._

_She was led down the remainder of the road, made to frolic, until they came to an emerald platform. In the center was a small table set up for a tea party; few people were present. Cloud and Leon unhooked themselves from her and joined them, taking seats on the left hand side of the table._

_Hikari remained where they had left her as she regarded the other tea party participants. Sora appeared to be one among them, though he seemed different from usual as well; his hair was mussed and he looked to be jittery. His attire included a large, dirty dark blue coat and striped pajama bottoms._

_A sleepy girl with short red hair was resting her head on his shoulder, using it as a pillow. Despite his jitters, she did not appear to be disturbed too greatly. She wore a red robe with white frills at the neck and a line of white down the middle. On a brown belt tied around a white band, she had Sora's Keyblade kept safely._

_It was a girl Hikari felt almost sure she did not know, yet the name "Kairi" came to mind._

_At the head of the table was the boy who, Hikari speculated, had kidnapped Alice__—__the name "Riku" came to mind for him, though they had not in actuality exchanged names. Despite that, there was a flutter in her chest upon seeing him, and she found herself smiling tenderly._

_He stood from his seat and smiled as well, gently narrowing his mismatched eyes. One of his eyes was cyan whereas the other glowed bright yellow, like the Shadow's hiding in the teapot. A large black hat rested askew atop his head and had an ace of hearts tied into the band above the brim__—__though in truth, there was only a piece of the heart. His blazer was deep red. Adding a suggestive taste of lunacy, one of his pupils was more dilated than the other, and his hair frizzed minutely._

_With hardly a moment's hesitation, he leaped onto the table in-between place settings. He stepped across the table with little regard, only minutely cautious of the items he could step on. He hopped off the table before he would have come to the edge, knowing distributing his weight on the end very well may have toppled it over._

_Hikari took a tentative step forward, meeting him halfway. She regarded him with an affectionate smile, almost an adoring smile, as she gingerly touched the pads of her fingertips to his cheek. Her eyes softened; her face reddened; her palms felt hot beneath her gloves._

_Riku raised a hand and presented to her a petite red box with a yellow ribbon tied around it. Gently taking her hand in his, he lowered it from his face and moved down to one knee, much like a fellow proposing marriage. He raised the box, silently urging her to accept it._

_Redder than a tomato, and hardly able to contain a broad grin, Hikari claimed the box. Tentatively, her fingers closed around the lid and she lifted it away. Her shoulders shook with a giggle when seeing what it held: a small tart in the shape of a star__—__or __**paopu fruit.**__ She regarded him with a touched, but questioning, expression._

"_When two people share one, their destinies are intertwined," he said, picking up the paopu. Standing upright, he broke the tart in half and presented part to her and kept some for himself. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what. . . ."_

_She smiled and nodded. Then, as he took his share, she leaned forward and closed her eyes. Directly from his hand, she took her part of the paopu between her teeth._

**

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**

In the waking world, where Hikari was curled up in the pilot's seat of the Gummi, the hum of the engine subtly filled her ears. Entering consciousness, her eyes tightened, fighting to sustain sleep. She felt a hand on her shoulder, gently nudging her awake. "Ah . . . ? Mmm. . . . Mm-mm!"

The nudging turned into something more like violent shaking. "Hiki, wake up! We're there!" quacked Donald's voice. "Come on, you've got to land the Gummi so we can find the king! (We'd do it ourselves, but you're in the seat!)"

_Uh . . . ? 'Wake up' . . . ? I was__—__dreaming?_ Moaning a little more, she opened her eyes and gazed out the window, seeing a world with a giant, Arabian palace. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she slid her feet down from the dash and sat up. She realized she had been holding her arms, and released herself. _I haven't had a dream, or a nightmare, since my heart was stolen . . . nothing but black._

"I . . . fell asleep . . . hmm." She sat upright and rubbed her eyes as she pulled the seatbelt across her lap. "Buckle up, buttercups." After stretching her arms toward the ceiling, she took hold of the steers. While everyone scrambled to their seats to put on their seatbelts, she watched in the reflection of a mirror. Then she switched the Gummi from Auto-Pilot.

The Gummi was parked in the middle of the desert near a giant mound of sand shaped like an open-mouthed tiger's head. They were just outside a ring of rocks that almost completely enclosed the area, aside from an opening directly before it.

The quartet exited the Gummi and headed toward the tiger head. Behind Hikari, Donald had his arms crossed and was frowning. "Why'd you have to go and park us in the middle of nowhere?" he grumbled. "We're too far from the city."

"I think we're far enough that it wouldn't be considered meddling to be here. That's something we're supposed to look out for, isn't that right?" The girl about-faced and pointed into the flat desert sands. "This world has a lot of empty space and desert. If we park too close to the city, they could see the Gummi." She turned back around. "And this doesn't look like the kind of world to see a lot of Gummies."

"A-hyuck! Yeah, Donald, we've gotta protect the world border," Goofy added.

The duck's eyes remained narrowed, though he averted them and sighed impatiently. Instead of admitting outright that they had a point, he corrected his friend. "'Order.'"

Approaching the center of the enclosure, Sora stopped and regarded the mouth of the tiger head. Despite the unlikelihood of it being an actual head, the resemblance was rather uncanny, and the inside of its mouth had even a uvula. "That's a weird cave. . . ." _But so cool!_

Hikari stood next to him and nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should look in there first. It looks like one of those places with secrets. First place the king would check, I'm sure—"

There were disturbances among the sand, shifts and what appeared to be emergences of curved swords resembling scimitars. The Heartless wielding them were Bandits, characterized by a turban with a matching white mask that left solely its eyes visible, puffed purple pants, red waistbands, gold rings and bracelets, and open, gold-lined blue vests that showed their emblem-tattooed chests.

Through portals of darkness, more portly versions of those Heartless—titled "Fat Bandits"—appeared. They sported turbans and face masks, like their skinnier counterparts, but their vests were red instead of blue. Wrapped around their waists was a yellow band, and instead of riches, their wrists were adorned with orange cuffs.

Sora produced his Keyblade, Donald summoned his Mage's Staff, and Goofy brought forth his Knight's Shield. After a moment's hesitation, Hikari bit her thumb and brushed it against her shuriken holster; a small track of blood was left on the paper attached to it, a miniature summoning scroll. In the veil of smoke, a short-bladed sword with no hand guard manifested.

Some of the Bandits tucked and rolled the air toward the quartet. Simultaneously, the tiger head—or "Guardian"—seemed to come alive, widening its mouth in a silent roar. Its eyes glowed; it flailed its head, shaking off Heartless that had climbed up the ridges of its jaw.

Hikari raised her sword in a guard position to stop a rolling Bandit from slicing her and protected against a second offense. Quickly, while their blades were locked, she took out a shuriken and threw it into the Heartless's side. The single impalement did not fell it, but it did falter and momentarily retract its blade. While it was in that state, fleetingly, she stabbed her sword through its chest; the Heartless disappeared.

Eyeing other enemies, she dipped and retrieved the shuriken that had fallen to the sand. Another Bandit had engaged Sora, and was easily blocking his Keyblade nearly every time he tried hitting it. However, he soon found a deft counterattack that swept across the Bandit's gut and left it open for another hit. Before the Bandit was defeated, the process had to be repeated a few times; the Bandits were rather capable swordsmen, but not impossible to defeat.

Donald and Goofy were teamed up against a Fat Bandit. Its actions were similar to a Large Body's, in how it carried its weight and threw it around by swinging its arms. In light of this, they gave it a wide berth; Donald cast spells on the creature whilst Goofy proceeded to throw his shield like a Frisbee, catching it when it returned like a boomerang. His shield solely seemed to cause damage from behind, like as with the Large Bodies, and rebounded when hitting the gut.

"Blizzard!" was the next spell cast, and when the icy blocks hit, the Fat Bandit leaned back, seemingly due to force from the spell. Donald took a moment to consume an ether while the Fat Bandit appeared incapacitated. Since it was not swinging its arms, Goofy approached and rammed his shield into its backside.

The Fat Bandit swiveled and faced Goofy with a fuller gut than ever. Then, it threw itself forward, bending so its non-existent chin was near the ground. A large, continual blast of fire came from its mouth; the flames licked the goof and his shield, drawing a yelp as he scrambled away. He had not been set ablaze, thankfully, but he collapsed to the sand anyway and yelled, "Stop, drop, and roll!"

"Goofy!" called Sora. The brunette vanquished the Bandit in front of him and then turned his attention to his friend, who sat on the ground with stars circling his head. Green light and leaves of a mending nature gathered around the blade of the blue-eyed teen's Key and mingled with the stars circling the goof's head. Goofy opened his eyes, shook from his daze, stood, and chuckled. He was going to attack the Fat Bandit once more, but it was extinguished by other means.

Small projectiles of energy were cast from the eyes of the Guardian and hit some of the Heartless. Two of the present Fat Bandits, including one that Hikari had weakened, were extinguished—however, four more (along with additional Bandits) replaced them. Projectiles continued to attack them, weaving around Hikari, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"How is the cave fighting?" Sora wondered aloud. He charged at another Bandit just after it had been struck by a projectile and slashed diagonally from shoulder to hip. It dissolved, revealing behind it one of the larger Heartless; that Heartless was fixed to breathe the fire gathered in its gut. "Whoa!" The boy retreated, having noticed that a frontal assault did not penetrate the Fat Bandit's defenses, when it was enveloped in a large, thick blanket of sand and suspended.

Hikari watched out of the corner of her eye as the sand constricted and compacted, crushing the Fat Bandit until it disappeared into dark matter and released a heart. "I don't know . . . someone must be controlling it, or something. A spell, maybe?" She paused for a moment to throw a shuriken at one Bandit and cut another. Breathing with a mild accent, she regarded the cave. The energy projectiles had, for the moment, ceased as the nose of the tiger was digging in the sand. Her gaze returned to the Heartless; some more Fat Bandits were picked up and crushed. "But right now, I won't complain!"

The Guardian raised its snout from the sand and opened its mouth wide. The hiss of breath was followed by a wall of sand being expelled from its mouth, like a sandstorm. "Watch out!" Hikari raised her arms, shielding against the Guardian's sand breath. Sora turned his back on it. Donald ducked onto the ground and braced his hands behind his neck, raising his tail end. Goofy hid behind his shield. All of them shut their eyes.

When the sand wall hit them they experienced great pain and were unbalanced, despite efforts to brace themselves. The sand tore through each of the Heartless, forcing captured hearts from every one of them. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari were blanketed almost completely, and the parts that were submerged were deep.

With the extermination of the Heartless, the Guardian settled back into its original, calm state, resting with its jaw open wide. Two figures appeared at its crown; a teenage boy with red hair and a young man. The boy, who went by the name of Gaara, stood coolly with his arms crossed as a platform of sand, leading from his gourd, brought him toward the ground. The other boy slid down the temple until he came to the ridge and could simply walk down.

"You buried them alive!" remarked the latter in disbelief. Nearing Sora's tuft of brunette hair, he kneeled in ratty, patched white pants and started to dig. He was a handsome young man, tanned with large brown eyes and thick black hair. If not for apparent poverty, plain due to the tangles in his hair, lack of footwear, and the condition of his little red hat and purple vest, he would be even more attractive.

Gaara approached calmly on foot and requested that "Aladdin" move. "Excuse me." As some sand returned to his gourd, the redheaded ninja raised his arms and Aladdin cleared himself away. The boy bent his fingers yet left his palms exposed, and the sand seemed to be disturbed. At the same time as when he rotated his wrist and raised his arm, the sand crept away from the small, visible parts of the quartet and lifted from them up into one giant cloud. When their bodies were excavated, he directed the sand elsewhere and let it drop.

Aladdin stepped toward the motionless quartet. "Gaara . . . I think you killed them!"

The redhead remained cool and collected; he sustained his calm stance of standing straight with his arms crossed.

A moment later, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari showed signs of life. Each of them stirred and began to pick themselves up. Hikari, nearest Aladdin and Gaara, sat up, spitting out the sand that had entered her mouth. "I think now I can complain . . . ," she muttered, dusting off her hair and face.

Next to her, Sora was on all fours, shaking out his hair. He twisted his head in the direction of her voice but kept his eyes closed as he also rubbed sand. There was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I kinda missed this . . . this sand almost feels like home, on Destiny Islands!" He opened his eyes. "Last time I was buried in sand, Kairi, Riku, and me were giving ourselves fish tails. I had sand in my shorts for a week!"

"TMI, Sora. . . ."

"Huh?" The brunette raised a brow and then realized the presence of Aladdin and Gaara out of the corner of his eye. With his face reddening, he jumped to his feet. Furtive blue orbs met intense, light turquoise eyes; the latter held an intimidating aura of strength. He gulped. "Did . . . did you save us?" Beads of sweat gathered at his temple beneath his thick hair. "Um . . . thank you." Donald and Goofy shrank behind him, also appearing nervous.

Hikari stood and met Gaara's gaze evenly. She reached up and brushed a bang from her eyes, seemingly undaunted. Both of them narrowed their eyes in calculation.

Gaara's softened and his lips parted in recognition. He knew those eyes, he thought; stone grey eyes that had been on the receiving end of heated stares. It was a stare that also harbored a smoldering hatred, deep within; although, it was hidden well from those unlike himself, who had an affinity for recognizing such things by eyes alone. The features surrounding her eyes made his memory feel a little "off," but the eyes made him quite certain of her identity. "Hikari Uzumaki."

She smiled. "Gaara, of the Desert." Turning her gaze, she pointed at her companions and named them. "Sora, Donald, Goofy."

Gaara replied with minimal gesture toward the Agrabah native. "Aladdin."

Hikari tapped the dull end of the sword against her shuriken holster and allowed it to disappear in smoke. "You're the first one I've run into to recognize me before I give my name. Considering how you were, last time I saw you, I'm surprised." _I knew it; these eyes . . . they are mine._ "Three years ago, you would've killed us. 'To verify your existence,' I think it was, isn't that right?"

She remembered. He had arrived with Konoha, along with his siblings, to take part in the Chuunin Exams; he had been the weapon of the Sand Village, one of the invading forces that had stalled the tests. Exuding bloodlust, he had frozen many with his cold stare and expressed no mercy toward his opponents. Naruto had relayed to her instances she had not been able to witness herself, for she had not participated in the Exams.

During the invasion of Konoha, a confrontation with Gaara had taken place in the Hidden Leaf Forest. He had incapacitated Sasuke and pinned Sakura to a tree with a giant clamp of sand—slowly, it had been crushing her to death. Hikari had been present, also unable to fight due to injury. She had witnessed her brother fight Gaara, and the latter nearly kill Sakura—toying with them all the while, he had dubbed them his "prey."

The monster within him, the same sort sealed within Naruto, had had a strong lust for blood, and possibly hearts—in Gaara, however, the lust was much more potent. Though they both led lonely lives as children, Naruto had eventually created bonds of love, friendship; Gaara had vowed to love only himself, live only for himself.

That very mentality had led to Gaara's defeat, as Naruto's determination to save Sakura had outclassed Gaara's desire for self-survival. _The power of a bond. . . ._

She thought back a moment to his appearance back then. He had been completely unapproachable, a short harbinger of death that wielded sand; an imposing version of Satan himself, it seemed. The forbidding aura had dwindled immensely; now he looked much gentler, almost kind, yet there was still an aura of power and strength, apparent in how he held himself—precisely wherefore Hikari's friends were minutely nervous.

She looked down his figure until she brought her eyes back up to his face. "You look a lot nicer. Not nearly radiating as much bloodlust."

A ginger smile crossed Gaara's lips, ultimately softening his features. Sora loosened, feeling less anxious; the smile had lightened the intensity of the redhead's gaze. Behind him, Donald and Goofy exchanged glances and then straightened, less afraid.

Aladdin opened his mouth to say something when the Heartless abruptly manifested. There were a few groans, and grumbles of "not again!"

"I got this!" assured the Agrabah native. He reached behind him and procured a lamp—a dirty old thing, but apparently manufactured from gold. Feverishly, he rubbed the side as he gave a glance at the numbers of Heartless; there were hundreds more than the initial bout. "Genie, get rid of these guys!"

Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Gaara had already begun making work of the Heartless, keeping them at bay. Gaara was wielding his sand against some of the Fat Bandits, scooping them up and then imploding the sand so they were crushed—_Sand Burial!__—_whereas Hikari performed some fire jutsu against the smaller ones. Behind them, they heard a pop, and blue smoke appeared.

From the mouth of a lamp was where that smoke came, and it began to take shape into a man's torso, arms, and head. He stretched, and yawned, further manifesting until one could see pointed ears, light blue skin, a black topknot, and a curled beard. The lower-half of his body, below a red waistband, was a smoky tail.

The genie finished stretching and regarded the Heartless. With gusto, he placed one hand on his hip and lifted his other hand. "Wish Number One, coming right up!" He snapped his fingers and there was a pop as all Heartless disappeared in blue and pink smoke and fireworks.

Aladdin brought two fingers up to his mouth and whistled, regarding the sky. On cue, a beautifully designed carpet with gold tassels flew down from the sky, beside him. He waved the group over, "—Come on!—," while Gaara began lifting a cloud of sand beneath him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy piled on the carpet with Aladdin whereas Hikari hopped onto the cloud by Gaara, seeing the carpet was too occupied.

Before the Heartless could appear once more, they made their escape; Genie followed.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile, Princess Jasmine hid behind a pile of boxes in Agrabah, watching as Heartless marched about the streets. She remained low, barely peeking over the lowest box. Her brow furrowed as she turned away and leaned her back against the wall, sinking into the shadow.

Crouched next to her was Gaara's sand clone. His caution was a mark above hers, possibly due to his ninja training.

"Gaara?" she asked in a low voice. "Can you tell me what's going on? Is Aladdin safe?"

The clone of the redhead jinchuuriki looked at her. "Information isn't shared that way between clones and the original; I wouldn't know." He was regarded in disappointment; he explained. "If I am destroyed, the true Gaara will obtain any information I received, but I won't obtain new information from him unless he speaks it to me directly. There isn't really any sort of telepathy between us."

"Oh. . . ." She sank down a little and sadly looked to the side, laying a hand over her heart. Silently, she prayed, _Allah, may they be safe._

**End of Chapter Sixteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Seventeen: Part-in-Parcel!

_He was hot and sticky while he roosted on his cloud of sand, which was parked just below the balcony of Princess Jasmine's chambers. The boy had one of his palms facing upward before him and covered one of his eyes with the other. Grains of sand were gathering in his palm._

_Inside her room, the princess was sound asleep. Though closer to thirteen, she was also younger, thus her feminine curves were less manifest in her light purple nightgown. Suspended inside, a small sphere of sand gathered; the physiognomy altered itself to attain the appearance of an eyeball with a brown iris._

_Gaara smiled fondly and a mild suffusion colored his cheeks._

* * *

Bonjourno! :D So, how'd ya like the chapter? I have to say, Hikari's dream has changed significantly than from the original plot I'd envisioned when I decided I wanted her to have one. It had basically centered around Cloud and Leon skipping through the meadow like a deliriously, cheesy happy couple XD I'd even considered making Cloud cross-dress like he did in FFVII. Then, it had involved to including Rikuman and Paopuboy (Sora) saving Kairi as she dangled from a rope above a pool of chocobos! (Cloud and Leon, still mad for each other, were the bad guys keeping her captive.) The characters were going to be EXTREMELY OOC, but when I'd started writing the scenario . . . it wasn't turning out NEARLY as funny as I'd pictured in my head ^^'

So the dream ended up being an Alice in Wonderland type of thing—modeled after Tim Burton's Alice, though I altered "Mad Hatter" Riku and "Alice" Hiki. For those who haven't seen the new Alice, Cloud and Leon were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Sora was the March Hare, and Kairi was the Dormouse. Why? Because I can make them that way :D I noticed too I could've mixed it with the Wizard of Oz (make Squall the "Cowardly Lion";" understand the allusion?) but due to time constraints and not wanting to tamper with it too much, I didn't. So, there was simply the "yellow stained glass road."

It took me awhile to decide on the title of this chapter. At first it was simply going to be "Enter Sandman," 'cause I like the Metallica song of the same title, but my beta-reader was insisting on "Mr. Sandman," because Gaara's introduced and it fits more because of the dream . . . if you've heard both songs, you'd that while both songs talk about dreams, Metallica's is too dark for the purposes of this chapter XD Therefore, I compromised! Useless trivia, yes, but I figured I'd mention it anyway.

I hope to get the next one out soon! :D Thanks for reading, and God bless!


	17. PartinParcel

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "Gaara?" she asked in a low voice. "Can you tell me what's going on? Is Aladdin safe?"

The clone of the redhead jinchuuriki looked at her. "Information isn't shared that way between clones and the original; I wouldn't know." He was regarded in disappointment; he explained. "If I am destroyed, the true Gaara will obtain any information I received, but I won't obtain new information from him unless he speaks it to me directly. There isn't really any sort of telepathy between us."

"Oh. . . ." She sank down a little and sadly looked to the side, laying a hand over her heart. Silently, she prayed, _Allah, may they be safe._

**Chapter Seventeen: Part-in-Parcel**

Aladdin's flying carpet and Gaara's sand cloud took the group over an empty patch of desert away from the cave, where there were no Heartless in sight. Carpet was laid out, resting for a moment. Gaara was also in respite; a lot of chakra had been executed in wielding the tiger head as a weapon, since it was manufactured from sand that was not his own special, chakra-infused type kept in his gourd (the latter required much less power to wield.)

Hikari stared at Gaara as she sat between him and quartet. Her eyes were paled lavender-white, and the veins attributing to byakugan sight were clearly marked on her face. Without trouble she could see the thinned amount of chakra at his core. She could also see a phantom of a second reserve, much more abundant and sinister. _The chakra of the One-tailed Shukaku,_ she recalled.

If prompted, he could use that chakra to continue. In the Land of Shurikon and Kunai, he had relied on it heavily, as well as other powers of the beast. When fighting Naruto, he had transformed into the beast by forcing his insomniac self to sleep. Back then, he had held no qualms about relying on that power as a jinchuuriki. Seeing as he was resting now instead of further pushing himself, he had changed his views.

She closed her eyes and deactivated the byakugan. She thought of her curse mark, and the reservations she had had when combating the Sound Four. _He's definitely changed,_ she thought while rummaging through her kunai pouch, _and for the better._ As she searched for the item she meant to procure, she walked toward Gaara.

After she recovered the item, she kneeled next to him and held a small blue pouch toward him; it tightly contained a perfect sphere, about the size of a billiard ball. He looked at her curiously. "It's a food pill. Just in case. Taking one significantly replenishes chakra. These, are special, made by Sakura. She's a pretty skilled medical ninja now."

His expression remained questioning, not comprehending.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I know you have another reserve of chakra, since you're a jinchuuriki. But since you aren't using it now, I'm assuming you want to do things by your own power, not its." She offered a smile. "I can understand wanting to wait until it's a really desperate situation and an absolute last resort. . . ."

He stared at her for a moment. Normally, he would have sustained a great abundance of chakra, despite the situation with the Cave of Wonders' Guardian, but he had given a majority of his chakra to the sand clone currently protecting Jasmine; he did not have to admit that to Hikari, though.

Politely, he replied, "I've been able to suppress Shukaku's murderous intent during my time here . . . I can use him, successfully, without lusting greatly for blood. I don't need the pill." He smiled at her. "Thank you, but you should keep it for yourself."

Awkwardly, Hikari retracted her hand. "Oh . . . uh . . . no problem. . . ."

Close by, the rest of the group sat, recovering. In order to help time pass along, Sora made conversation. "Aladdin, what're you doing out here?"

"Same old stuff. Hunting legendary treasure." Smugly, the young man added, "Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders." He procured his lamp. "I found that magic carpet, and this lamp. Legend has it, whoever has the lamp can summon the—"

"Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional!" Genie interrupted. He was rather theatrical and virtually hyperactive, motioning and conjuring whatever turned his speech into a performance. "The one and only, Genie of the Lamp! Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted." Confetti was produced to rain around Aladdin. "Today's winner is: Aladdin!" He energetically shook his master's hand. "Congratulations!"

Donald blinked and stared with innocent eyes. "Any wish?"

Genie stuck his hand in front of Donald. "Patience, my fine, feathered friend! Any—," he triplicated and held up three fingers, "—three wishes!" As he counted them off, his copies disappeared. "A one wish, a two wish, a three wish! Then I make like banana and split!" He disappeared with a crack. "Our lucky winner made his first wish—," he appeared by Sora and leaned in, speaking like it was a secret, "—and let me tell you what a doozy that wish was—," then he duplicated himself and danced back-to-back, "—so he has _two_ left~! So, master, what'll you have for Wish Number Two?" Spotlight and fanfare, cued.

Aladdin held his chin for a moment and smirked. "How about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?"

Gaara reacted.

"Oooh! Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that?" The true Genie dismissed his copy and stretched forward, cracking his knuckles. "Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels, loaded with gold!" He mimed dialing. "Just say the word and I'll deliver it in thirty minutes or less, or your meal's free." He came by Aladdin and put his arm around his shoulder. "Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino!"

Aladdin grinned but waved his hands in a ceasing motion. "No, thanks!" Brief pause. "I think I'll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah."

Hikari curiously noted Gaara's reaction. A trick of the light seemed to bring green out in his eyes—a "green with envy" type of look. The shadow of his brow tried to hide some sense of despair, and loss—they were all small expressions, mostly obscured by a stoical mask, so she was unsure. It seemed like he was practicing a great deal of restraint . . . like he was restraining Shukaku.

Genie released his master and rose, taking flight with his arms spread. Contentedly he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose. "No problem! That'll give me a chance to enjoy this. Fresh air, the great outdoors!"

Curiously Sora lifted his head and eyes, gazing at him. "Guess you don't get out much, huh?"

The blue entity sighed. "It's all part-in-parcel with the whole Genie-gig." His voice deepened, and he took on a highly muscular façade—, **"Phenomenal cosmic powers****—****,"** before cramping himself into the lamp, visible when the lid came off, _"__—__itty-bitty living space!"_ He dissolved into smoke and appeared in the air once more, cupping his face. "It's always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky to see the light of day every century or two."

"That's tough. . . ."

Next to the brunette, Aladdin was looking at the sand, thinking. "Say, Genie, what if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp?" He lifted his head and regarded him. "What do you think?"

Genie was visibly surprised. "You'd do that?" A smile soon manifested. "That's so kind of you, even if you don't mean it. . . ."

Reassuringly, his master smiled. "Genie, it's a promise."

"Aladdin," Hikari addressed, lingering her eyes on Gaara. "I can understand wanting riches, as it's a normal desire—especially for people without money—but why do you want to be a prince? Why not just wish for a limitless fortune?" She peeled her eyes from the sand shinobi and looked at the boy.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, wearing a dreamy smile. "You see, there's this, girl in Agrabah, named Jasmine. But she's a _princess,_ and I'm—" He cut himself off and lowered his gaze, dejectedly shaking his head. "There's a law. She has to marry a prince." He peeked at Gaara. "Or in his case, the son of a 'Kazekage.'"

"The Kazekage was the leader of the Village Hidden in the Sand, the most qualified ninja of the Wind Country. It's not a position passed onto the next generation by blood, like for maybe the Daimyo . . . ," explained the girl. Then, she realized what Aladdin had implied and her head toward Gaara. ". . . ! You're engaged to the princess!" She turned to Aladdin once more. "And you're trying to steal his fiancée?"

The other three widened their eyes and dropped their jaws. Genie's jaw dropped lowest of all, hitting the sand. He tugged at his beard and allowed his chin to roll up like the shade of a window. "Oh, a love triangle. This is what I've been brought into."

Aladdin feverishly waved his hands in front of him. "No, wait! It's not like that." He thought it over a moment and averted his eyes. "Well, I guess it sort of is, but. . . ."

"The princess doesn't want to marry me."

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

The desert wind softly blew against their sympathetic faces during an awkward stillness. The air was hot, and dry, thus furthering their discomfort. Hikari then asked, to clarify, "An arranged marriage?"

"Yes," Gaara answered. "In fact, the princess and I had been negotiating with the sultan, to break off the engagement and allow her to marry whom she wished." He directly looked at Aladdin. "Even a street rat. He might've been taking the bait, too." He closed his eyes and uncrossed his legs. In one movement, he lifted himself onto his feet. He noticed Aladdin's suffusion, a small glimmer of hope. "It doesn't matter now, though."

Aladdin's face fell. "What? Why not?"

Calmly, the jinchuuriki answered, "Jafar, the royal vizier, has deposed the sultan and taken over Agrabah." Gasps were heard. "He's after the princess and a special kind of 'Keyhole.' Heartless are all over the city, searching under his command."

(_Keyhole?_ wondered Genie. _Where've I heard that before? Come on, it's only been two hundred years. . . .)_

The boys exchanged gazes and nodded. Hikari sighed inwardly. _Heartless. If our involvement hadn't been sealed already, then it would be now._ She rose next to Gaara. "Marital drama aside, where is the princess? Somewhere safe, for now, isn't that right?" Across from her, Aladdin appeared somber.

"She's in hiding, in city. I'd be with her, but—," he stared at Aladdin, "—she insisted that I find Aladdin, because she was worried. So, I left I sand clone to protect her." Acting casual, he added, "I armored the clone, so it should la—" Something struck him, apparently a realization or presence of new information, which cast him in shock. ". . . !"

Promptly, Aladdin inquired, "What's wrong? Is it something about Jasmine?"

Gaara recovered from the shock and kept a cool head, despite the heat that had rushed to his face and the sweat dewing his palms. Stoic, still, there was an unmistakable urgency in his eyes. "Princess Jasmine is in trouble. The clone was destroyed just now."

"What? Well c'mon, let's get going!"

**

* * *

**

"_**Arabian nights, like Arabian days, more often than not, are hotter than hot, in a lot of good ways."**__ Gaara had heard the song in Agrabah often, and after some time spent in the world, he quite understood how warm it could be—though not in the suggestive way implied by the song. At the age of twelve, however, he did at least know what the implications were._

_He was hot and sticky while he roosted on his cloud of sand, which was parked just below the balcony of Princess Jasmine's chambers. The boy had one of his palms facing upward before him and covered one of his eyes with the other. Grains of sand were gathering in his palm._

_Inside her room, the princess was sound asleep. Though closer to thirteen, she was also younger, thus her feminine curves were less manifest in her light purple nightgown. Suspended inside, a small sphere of sand gathered; the physiognomy altered itself to attain the appearance of an eyeball with a brown iris._

_Gaara smiled fondly and a mild suffusion colored his cheeks._

_Sand from his gourd percolated onto the balcony and made its way into the room. There, it converged and compacted, sculpting itself before his third eye. It took his shape—that of a boy short even for being twelve years old. The sand figure walked toward the bed and by the side. Tentatively, it approached Jasmine's head._

_Her soft black hair had loosened from her ponytail with sleep. Her chest rose and fell with silent breath, and due to the stillness of her eyes, there was no question pertaining to her serenity. Her bronze skin glistened. Wings brushed the lining his stomach, tickling from him a deeper suffusion._

_The clone raised its hand and tenderly caressed his knuckles against her cheek. Little reaction was received, aside from a reflexive tug of the mouth into a smile. She twisted a little, turning her chin into the hand. Gaara's heart jumped._

_A shadow crept behind him, that of a very large cat. Its quiet trekking was drowned by the thundering of his heart as he continued to softly regard Jasmine. The true Gaara, viewing the scene with his Third Eye, confirmed that it was Raja, Jasmine's tiger._

_When a low, intimidating growl came from the animal, the clone removed his hand from Jasmine's face and turned around. Before it was struck, Gaara closed his palm and allowed the clone to collapse, becoming a pile of sand on the floor. Slowly, the grains returned to him._

_The Kazekage's son allowed his Third Eye Jutsu to be disrupted, as well. He opened both of his eyes and stared at the hand with which the clone had touched Jasmine's face. Since the clone's knowledge became his own when destroyed or dismissed, he could feel on his own hand the warmth and tingling, phantom feeling of still caressing her._

_He turned his head and gazed at the balcony. "Sweet dreams, princess."_

**

* * *

**

"Sasori my man, with art you must constantly seek greater and greater stimulation, or your ability to appreciate it will dull," casually commented the blonde half of Agrabah's unwelcomed guest. The pair stood in the Plaza, next to a wall that was cracked and a little withered from heat and sand storms. Some Heartless continued their hunt for the princess in the vicinity.

The man gazed at his right palm. He had an extra mouth, one of two, that appeared to be chewing whichever substance was inside. "I've heard rumors that the Shukaku jinchuuriki is pretty powerful; made in your village, the Sand, as a military weapon, hmm. He was so powerful, and unstable, that for six years before he met his demise, the Fourth Kazekage tried and failed to assassinate him multiple times."

White clay was renounced by the mouth on Deidara's hand, into his palm. The mouth closed and he curled his fingers, kneading the clay quickly into shape. "He'll be a good opponent for my art. Hmm." When he uncurled his hand, a few small spiders were shown to have been formed. They jumped from his hand to the wall.

"What? You call those pyrotechnics 'art'?" Sasori spat. "Art is something that endures the test of time beautifully and gracefully." Their gazes met; Sasori's appeared rather intense as he spoke with conviction while Deidara formed a right-handed seal. "_True_ art is eternal beauty."

The blonde detonated the clay, creating an explosion large enough to blow out a significant chunk of the wall but still small enough that he nor his partner were injured. Neither of them paid mind to the blast, allowing the smoke to clear. He laughed in disbelief in regard to his partner's claim. "Eternal beauty! Sasori my man, I respect you as a fellow artist, but art is something that blossoms for an instant before withering away."

The smoke cleared to reveal a secret passageway. Rubble was not a significant obstacle as they entered the fixture and continued their search for the jinchuuriki. "Deidara, apparently you don't understand what true art is."

"That would be you, my man."

Some Heartless surrounded the opening in their wake. Shadows entered and wiggled their antennae, searching for the essence of heart in the same way that a dog would put its nose to the ground for a scent. "Eternal beauty is the only true art."

"Absurd!" the blonde remarked. He paid little attention to the Heartless, undisturbed in their presence and not entirely interested in their mission. "Art is transient beauty, beauty that lasts for just a moment!"

Sasori stopped in the center of the passageway. They had traveled far from the opening created by Deidara's blast, the sole source of light. Much of his face was shadowed. "Are you trying to piss me off?" A Bandit, visible mostly per its glowing yellow eyes and a light gleam from its sword, jumped with the intention of pouncing on Sasori. Without flinching or acknowledging, he used his tail to fell it in a single strike.

Deidara stopped as well and turned. He glanced at the Heartless that surrounded them; they were not poised to attack, continuing their hunt. Perhaps the fact that Jafar did not want them present was the reason for his Heartless's momentary lapse; they were creatures of instinct, first and foremost. "That's why I said that this would probably piss you off!"

"You should know what happens when I get angry!" The scorpion tail hovered menacingly; purple liquid, a deadly poison, dripped from the tip. Forebodingly, he demanded, "What do you say, Deidara?"

He raised his chin and smirked. "To me, the essence of art is . . . explosions." Inside his sleeve, so subtle the motion was unnoticed, he was kneading clay. Goading his partner, he taunted, "It's completely different from your silly puppet shows!"

In a short instant, Deidara dashed back and his position was replaced by the point of Sasori's tail. A small clay spider, thrown by Deidara, crawled from behind Sasori to the top of his back. Realizing its presence, the puppet master glanced back and moved to get rid of it, but it was far too late. As soon as his eyes met the soulless black dots, the clay was detonated, and smoke consumed the hallway.

The pyromaniac was greatly and obviously amused as he smirked at the clearing smoke. "And that might've been the most beautiful of my creations so far."

A silhouette different from the shape of the "scorpion" previously present appeared. Taller, thinner, and standing upright, he was faced away. His voice was no longer hoarse, but was still deep and rather commanding. He growled, "That was one of my favorite puppets; Hiruko was the only one that covered up a puppet master's weakness in close combat!"

The smoke finished clearing, revealing the countenance of a fifteen-year-old youth with red hair cropped short. His eyes were a normal size for his age, though they appeared smaller because he had them closed partway—which was natural for him. He wore the typical Akatsuki robes, his nails were painted teal, and he had a purple ring with the kanji for "Jewel" on his left thumb.

He scowled forebodingly. "Those petty fireworks you call 'art' will be the death of you one day!" He raised his hand and attached threads of chakra to the head of the puppet previously believed to be Sasori's countenance. The mask had been torn off, revealing an artificial grin and showing a small barrel in place of a tongue.

The blonde did not flinch as senbon dipped in poison projected in a heavy stream from the mouth. Intentionally, the needles missed any part of his body and simply disturbed his robe to impale the Heartless behind him. He snorted. "Then my death will truly be a beautiful work of art."

Sasori continued to scowl.

**

* * *

**

Less Heartless were interspersed in the city streets. At first thought, one would speculate it to be a fortunate occurrence. Withal, the lesser amount of the dark embodiments indicated that their mission in that world (namely, the capture of Princess Jasmine) had been completed, thus Gaara's fears concerning the disappearance of his clone had become truth.

From above, the party scanned for Jasmine or Jafar—or in the case of Hikari and the gang, simply a human presence. They had to look over the entire city before they saw two figures standing before the Palace Gates. Carpet and Gaara's sand cloud were directed toward the ground.

A few feet from the ground, Aladdin and the boys jumped off Carpet and landed on the sand with a thump. Hikari and Gaara allowed the cloud to touch the ground before stepping off. "Jafar, let Jasmine go!"

Jafar grinned wickedly. "Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy? Back to your hole, _street rat._ I won't allow you to trouble the princess anymore," he taunted. More hurtfully, and with a disdain very akin to what he had shown toward Aladdin, he said to Gaara, "My apologies; your engagement to the princess has been broken."

Wrinkles formed in Gaara's brow and around the vein by his tattoo. The sand he had used to transport himself and Hikari, instead of returning to his gourd, rushed toward Jafar menacingly. Unflinching, the vizier raised his staff and projected an invisible shield that the sand glanced off of.

Jasmine flinched away and raised her arms in a guarding position. She peeked through squinted vision and could hardly make out the figures on the other side of the sheets of sand; two Bandits were in front of her, also, so she had to look around them. "I'm so sorry, Aladdin. Gaara. . . ." She gasped as the sand at Jafar's feet rose and encased him.

Aladdin's brow furrowed as he pulled out his lamp behind him. Feverishly, he rubbed the side and whispered, "Genie, help Jasmine! Please!"

Subtle smoke emerged from the spout of the lamp and weaved around the falling sand and Bandits. Jasmine was scooped up and cradled bridal-style when Genie manifested. "One wish left! You're making this very easy, you know?"

Somehow, Jafar repelled the sand and cackled as the sheets rained on the group, distracting them momentarily."So sorry, boy. I'm afraid your second wish has been **denied.**" Toward his outstretched hand, Iago flew with the handle of the lamp in his feet. Realizing this, Aladdin pulled his hands from behind his back and realized he was empty-handed.

Genie lowered his head, "—I'm sorry, Al; the one with lamp calls the shots—," and dropped Jasmine into a magenta clay pot; the princess yelped.

Gaara's glare deepened as he gathered his sand once more; pellets were formed that heavily rained toward Jafar during the jinchuuriki's Sand Shower Barrage jutsu. _"Let her go!"_

Jafar was unconcerned. With the lamp in hand, he regarded Gaara and Hikari. "Genie! Incapacitate them!" Next to him, the pot holding Jasmine sprouted four black legs and formed a small hole in its side; a yellow eye was visible.

Wearing a downcast expression, Genie granted the wish and followed his master's orders. A larger Pot Spider appeared, sizeable enough to accommodate two people, as the ninja were picked up from the ground. Gaara's main weapon—his gourd and the sand within—was removed from him and allowed to fall to the ground. Both ninja were dropped and trapped into the pot.

Sora's grip on the Keyblade tightened, regarding the Giant Pot Spider. "Hiki!" Unfortunately, he had to divert his attention for Jafar had repelled Gaara's attack and the Sand Shower Barrage was redirected at them. He raised his Keyblade and beat a few away, successfully dodging most of them.

Smugly, Jafar raised his staff. "And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!" As he, the Pot Spider containing Jasmine, and Genie disappeared, two more pots burst and revealed the head and tail of the bug-like Heartless with electrical antennae on the head and stingers on the tail.

When the Sand Shower Barrage was discontinued, the boys raised their weapons and saw that the head and tail had gathered a few pots, completing a Heartless known as the Pot Centipede. Sora glanced uneasily at the Giant Pot Spider in the corner, containing the ninja.

Inside the Giant Pot spider, the ninja could hardly see a thing but could hear the goings-on outside. The space was small enough that they had to kneel, but they were hardly touching one another. Hikari thumped her fist on the lining of the pot, hitting a new space each time so that she could try finding a spot that sounded different upon impact—a weak point they could utilize.

"This is just a Giant Pot Spider—a Heartless. There should be a simple way out of here," she muttered. "Any suggestions, Gaara?"

Expressionless, he brushed his fingertips on the side gently and checked his hand. No particles or residue were transferred. He frowned. "This pot isn't clay or any mineral I can break down; it's armor, though I can't tell what type. If I had sand, I'm sure I could break through without causing injury to us."

Hikari placed one hand on the side and leaned back while she poised her fist to strike; the back of her head brushed against Gaara's shoulder. With some chakra behind it, she punched the pot hard, warranting a small tremor; however they were still trapped. She sighed and touched her ankles to her haunches. "So—we're screwed until they help us out? _If_ they can help us?"

He shook his head and pounded on the wall as well, though due to his stance and the way his head was bowed it appeared to be more like a release of frustration. The situation clouded his mind and sent him into a sort of panic he had trouble controlling. Normally, he was as cool as a cucumber—cooler even, except for instances in the past where blood lust had bested him.

His heart was aching inside his chest. He had trouble forming his thoughts coherently. The idea of idly staying in a pot while a corrupt vizier kidnapped his fiancée and that the boy stealing her away from him was his hope for escape was not only distasteful; it was unfathomably disgusting. Controlling his anger, he slumped and narrowed his eyes, trembling with rage and frustration yet not acting out.

The kunoichi closed her agape jaw and softened her eyes over her shoulder. Awkwardly, she looked at the floor of the pot, unable to give an immediate response.

She addressed him by his first name. Although he did not give a verbal response and she was unable to see an aesthetic one, she continued as if he had acknowledged. "You said your engagement to the princess was arranged, isn't that right? She didn't want to marry you." One could feel the aura within the pot grow tenser. "If that's the case . . . how come you're engaged?"

They could hear the sounds of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin fighting outside; it was tough discerning, however, which side was prevailing—if they were not in equilibrium. The grunts from the four seemed offensive, not pained, and there did not seem to be any desperate cries.

"The law states that the princess must marry prior to her sixteenth birthday. Over the past year especially, suitors have come from all over for her hand. The princess, however, denied all of them due to their arrogance, and because she wanted to marry for love. No one was coming to par.

"The sultan approached me when I explained my lineage. He felt I was ideal because of my offensive capabilities and my ability to protect his daughter." He smiled a little. "Also, she liked me. After some persuasion, she gave in." He closed his eyes; his smile disappeared. "But she didn't _love_ me. She accepted most likely because I'm different from those princes, nothing more. When her eyes fell on Aladdin, the day she escaped palace walls, she immediately regretted her choice."

His hands lowered from the pot's lining and he opened his eyes minutely. "Up until now, my bonds with others had only been ones of hatred and murder. I saw even family as mere hulls of flesh connected by blood and disdain. But, seeing _him_ fight so hard made me wonder what a bond really is. I think I understand a little now.

"Suffering, sadness . . . and joy. To be able to share it with another person. Naruto Uzumaki, your brother . . . when I fought him, I feel that is what he taught me. Princess Jasmine. . . ." He trailed off.

Hikari connected the dots, wondering to her chagrin why she had not realized earlier. "You're not engaged because of the sultan, or any arrangement; there's no one here to arrange for you. And the Kazekage's title isn't passed on by blood, it's passed by skill." She looked at him over her shoulder. "The princess may not be engaged to you because she's in love with you . . . but you're in it because _you_ love _her._"

There was a considerable reddening of his face. In a small voice, he replied, "I do. I have. But as you've seen, what I feel is unrequited. . . . She'll be happy with Aladdin. That's what's important."

"Yeah. . . ." She thought about Sasuke, the boy who had held the title as her first love. Affection for him had dwindled with loss of heart and passing years, but back in the day she had been just as far under his spell as the rest of the female youth population in the village. Constantly the fan girls fought over him, despite his lack of ardor for anyone. She wondered briefly that if Sasuke had in fact fallen for a different girl back then, whether she would so diplomatically have let him go.

Perhaps she was not the best judge, due to her apparent lack of understanding of friendly bonds, but his actions were rather mature for a first love; an unrequited love, no less.

There was a loud, painful cry coming from outside and an exclamation of Aladdin's name. Donald cast a Cura spell. Hikari frowned. "Sounds like they need our help; there has to be a way out of . . . hold on a minute. . . ."

Having an epiphany, the girl turned herself around so that she had her back against the inside of the pot. While she lifted her feet, she tried to refrain from kicking Gaara accidentally. Quickly, she untied her shoe and slipped it off her foot; she looked inside and thumped the toe. She did the same with her other shoe.

Gaara looked at her over his shoulder with narrowed, questioning eyes. Hikari met them with a smile as she tilted and shook her shoes, allowing sand to fall out in a steady stream. "Doesn't look like there's a lot, but is there maybe enough to get is out?"

The sand finished falling once it created a small mound between them. The jinchuuriki turned around and scooped some of the sand while the girl put her shoes back on. He closed his hand. "Barely, but I think so." There was a subtle, yet imperfect relief; one that would most likely not be complete until Jasmine was rescued. "Thank you."

"No problem. Let's go."

Outside the Giant Pot Spider, the boys were holding their own in spite of what had been heard from within the ninja's container. The Pot Centipede had three parts to it: a head, tail, and body composed of pots. The head and tail ends were colored blue; for defense, the heard had antennae with stingers on the end that would come to the aide of the tail in the event of an attack.

Unfortunately, it was quick and rather skilled; they were able to do little damage in close-combat before they were zapped by the electric stinger. For that reason, they all allowed it a wide berth as it turned around and crawled away from the Palace Gates to the Plaza.

Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin followed immediately whereas Sora lingered for a moment. He glanced at the Heartless containing Gaara and Hikari, frowned, and then passed through the doorless gateway toward the entrance of the city.

In the next area, Aladdin was slashing at the tail end of the Pot Centipede as it was preoccupied with awakening Pot Spiders to act as accomplices. Like a Frisbee, Goofy threw his shield and watched it glance the sides of its head, body, and tail before returning to him. Effortlessly Donald exterminated the Pot Spiders with a few Blizarra spells; their armor was significantly weaker than their giant counterpart.

"Blizzard!" Three icy crystals bombarded the pots and reduced them to dissolving dark particles, thereby separating the head and the tail. Alerted, the head swiveled and crawled to close the gap between itself and the tail. Like a whip, it lashed its antennae at Aladdin, who evaded just in time. He retreated.

The head of the Centipede touched its nose to the front of the tail end and flicked its stinging antennae every which way when a small shadow formed on its forehead. Gradually, the shadow grew, soon eclipsing its eyes and drawing its gaze skyward. The boys also looked up, but it was in vain; a moment later, an elaborate halberd struck it right between its glowing yellow eyes.

The final blow, smoky, black ribbons rose and curled around the halberd like vines. Both the head and the tail end seemed to fade and dissolve into dark particles. A pink, crystalline heart was released, allowing it to ascend to the sky. From the gateway, Gaara and Hikari emerged.

"Ultimate Attack: Shukaku's Pike," coolly stated the redhead jinchuuriki. His jutsu crumbled to the sand it was comprised of and laid to rest; his gourd was also placed against hid back, thus it was no longer needed by him.

Hikari reacted as she crouched near where the Pot Centipede had perished. She glanced quizzically. _Shukaku's . . . ?_ From the sand, she scooped up a small, silver bracelet with a line of gold in the center. She slipped it onto her wrist and stood. "Okay. Jafar has the princess. Next, he'll probably be looking for that 'Keyhole.' Any bright ideas?"

Everyone stopped and gave it thought, despite what little knowledge of the world they may have had. Those who were more familiar with it searched their memories for something as mystic, but had little luck.

Aladdin crossed his arms and lifted his eyes from the ground, catching an opening in the wall. Curiosity piqued, he approached the opening and peered inside, looking down the secret passageway within. "This hole in the wall is new. I know I haven't seen it before." Donald, Goofy, Hikari, and Gaara followed suit.

"Gawrsh . . . it's dark down there," Goofy commented.

"That's because it's a large corridor," Hikari said, continuing to look down. "All the more reason to check it out, isn't that right? It could lead to where Jafar took the princess."

Behind them, Sora continued to stare at the tip of his Keyblade with narrowed eyes and parted lips. He felt a flutter in his chest, a subtle whisper that conjured the image of the Cave of Wonders Guardian within. "That cave . . . that's where the Keyhole is," he muttered.

Hikari turned to him. "What?"

He lifted his head and held up his Keyblade. "I think that cave—the one that looks like a tiger's head—that's where the Keyhole is." Hesitantly, as if he knew it sounded eerie, he added, "The . . . Keyblade says so." Red colored his cheeks; the others had their brows raised a little.

"The Keyblade said so . . . ," she repeated; but not with disbelief. "Well . . . we can't ignore this passageway, and I don't think we should ignore the Key."

"Then we'll split up and search both," Aladdin suggested. "Since Gaara and I are the only ones with transportation, we'll be on different teams. I'll go down this passageway with Carpet. Who's with me?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged looks and nodded. The former volunteered the both of them. "We are!" He turned to the brunette. "Sora?"

"I have to follow the Keyblade," he replied, lowering the Key. "I'll go with Hiki and Gaara to the Cave."

Gaara stood coolly with his arms crossed, wondering fleetingly whether or not he should entrust his faith to a boy carrying an oversized key. . . . "We don't have time to waste. We must rescue Princess Jasmine. Let's move."

Everyone nodded. "Right!"

**End of Chapter Seventeen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Eighteen: Of Bones and Marionettes

Sora summoned his Keyblade and took his natural battle stance. "So, me and you against this guy and his doll. We can do this, no problem."

The puppet master formed a slight smile that did not reach his bored eyes. "Pity to be so obtuse. No matter." His teal-polished fingers moved as he directed his puppet toward Sora and Hikari; in reaction, Hikari formed a supplementary seal. "You won't feel the bliss of ignorance much longer."

* * *

I'm so sorry for the belated update! And an author knows it's been a long time since an update's occurred when a reader inquires if it's been dropped XP It hasn't. I wish I could've gotten this out sooner-especially on July 16th, WDTL's one year anniversary *fanfare cued*-buuuut chapter eighteen gave me trouble. Thanks, guys, for reviewing and sticking by me ^^ We've crossed a year and seventeen chapters have been posted! Not too bad... Ideally, I'd be cranking these out every two weeks or less, so there'd be more, but this is still good :D

Heeeey... I'm remembering the disclaimer again! (Twice in seventeen chapters XD) Disclaimer: I don't own Disney, Kingdom Hearts, or Naruto. Also, the banter between Sasori and Deidara, I should mention, was taken almost directly from the anime-it was from English subs, and I altered it a little for my purposes, but it is the same for the most part XP I couldn't resist having them have their little art debate. It's too much a part of their character.

Umm...I think I wanted to say more, but Ican't remember, so **thanks for reading, reviewing, and God bless!** I'll try to keep the date of update under a month for the next one XD Though mind, I am working on multiple one-shots, the revival of Violets are Blue, and a Cloud mini-series simultaneously, so that explains why these don't get out as quickly as ideal...


	18. Of Bones and Marionettes

Recappy From the Last Chappy:

"Then we'll split up and search both," Aladdin suggested. "Since Gaara and I are the only ones with transportation, we'll be on different teams. I'll go down this passageway with Carpet. Who's with me?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged looks and nodded. The former volunteered the both of them. "We are!" He turned to the brunette. "Sora?"

"I have to follow the Keyblade," he replied, lowering the Key. "I'll go with Hiki and Gaara to the Cave."

Gaara stood coolly with his arms crossed, wondering fleetingly whether or not he should entrust his faith to a boy carrying an oversized key. . . . "We don't have time to waste. We must rescue Princess Jasmine. Let's move."

Everyone nodded. "Right!"

**Chapter Eighteen: Of Bones and Marionettes**

Dusk quickly fell in Agrabah, turning the sky into a dull, dark cyan. Since it was not quite night time, the colors lightened toward the horizon. The moon was partly shadowed by a few thin clouds; aside from that, the light—between the stars and moon—was indeed sufficient for travel by foot, caravan, or magic carpet.

By means of the first listed, the pair donned in black robes decorated with red clouds created tracks in the desert sands heading back toward the city. Under the shade of his pointed straw hat, Sasori was scowling into the abyss of petulance as he reached the summit of his patience.

"That 'secret' passageway yielded no results; the temple, or whatever place that was, is so archaic it doesn't seem to have seen human occupation or use for some time. Only Heartless," the redhead puppet master remarked with unmistakable irritation. "We've been on this world too long; the Shukaku should've been found by now. I don't like keeping others _waiting._"

Less annoyed than his partner, Deidara responded, "They're not holding their breath, hmm. We've still plenty of other jinchuuriki to find before we can proceed with our plans. Relax, my man. It'll be found soon enough. That snaky vizier seemed to recognize the name, at least, so it's here somewhere, hmm. That's what that bird-brained spy of yours said, anyway. No pun intended, hmm."

"In order to find it, we may have to commence destruction of the city; draw it out."

The blonde smirked. "Hmm. Maybe I should've brought more clay."

**

* * *

**

Gaara, Hikari, and Sora flew through the desert sky toward the Cave of Wonders at a quick, but not too strenuous, pace. The jinchuuriki directed his sand from the front, the girls sans heart looked over the side, and the Keybearer brought up the rear.

Hikari was on her hands and knees on the edge, looking around. Her forelocks flitted about the diminutive furrow in her brow—spawned from concern and speculation—and her eyes. She pulled her hair behind her ear to stop the larger portion from whipping her face. "Does twilight always pass so quickly, here? Seems like it became dark awfully fast. . . ." She glanced toward Gaara's back side-long. "Some worlds . . . well, _fall apart_ within twenty-four hours of Heartless invasion."

Sora came up on her side and looked at the sky with her. "The islands where I came from were gone within an hour or two, I think, of when the Heartless showed up. There was this big, dark storm too."

"He's right. Don't worry about that," Gaara responded, though not with reassurance. Notwithstanding, he did appear calm, but she could definitely detect an extremely minuscule apprehension. She could not see many points of expression, or study body language, because his gourd guarded him and he faced the other way. "There's no storm. When a world is nearing its end, there's a great storm, and it's swallowed in black." His head was lowered. "At least, that's the last thing I remember from when our world was destroyed. "Heartless, storm . . . black."

Her gaze returned to the desert floor. "Oh, yeah, you're right." _I guess a storm was the least of my concerns that night. . . . Hn, isn't that right? _Scanning, her attention was caught by two figures trekking across the sand that caught her attention. Eyeing them quizzically, she reached to tap Gaara's shoulder or back. "Stop—wait! Lower the cloud a bit."

He looked back at her over his shoulder with evident irritation. He was restless, wanting to go forward—where his _fiancée_ was in peril—yet she wanted him to turn back! Hesitating to perform the repulsive deed, though determined to keep his cool, he stopped and twisted. Before he could speak, Sora inquired for him, "Why did we stop?"

Hikari leaned over the edge and squinted at the two figures. There was a suspicious air about them, partly due to the fact that they were on foot with no caravan, camel, or other means of transportation in sight. Also, even if they were stranded travelers, their clothing style did not appear native to this world—in fact, it was doubtful that someone native to the desert would wear full black like they appeared to. Since heat was attracted to darker colors, being adorned in complete black was suicide.

She felt a small tension in her stomach. Moisture accumulated at her temple. "Trouble, it looks like. . . . I can't tell for sure this far away. Take us closer."

"Why? Hiki, do you recognize them?"

"I don't know! Tell me if you see red clouds on their robes."

At "red clouds," Gaara reacted, and was a little less reluctant to turn the sand cloud around and gradually lower it. So as not to risk being seen or raise alarm, he was slow (to an extent) and did not approach them too closely. They were close enough to just barely make out the presence of an artistic, red cloud pattern on their robes; this elicited reaction from both ninja.

"If grey clouds are a storm, then that red is bloody carnage," Hikari muttered. She scowled. There was a glimmer of nerves in her stare that one with a trained eye could observe. "Definitely trouble, no question about it. But . . . what kind of trouble, exactly?" She looked at Gaara. "Oh . . . jinchuuriki. . . ."

Sora looked up from the figures to Hikari and Gaara. His face was marked with puzzlement. "Huh? Wait, what's going on? What's a . . . that thing you just said?"

Gaara answered. "A jinchuuriki is someone who, at birth or while a fetus in the womb, had a Heartless sealed within them—most commonly, in the belly. There were nine total on our world, beasts with tails counting from one to nine. These concentrations of darkness and chakra were massive, and powerful . . . a valuable asset to a shinobi village, if they were not too great a liability. I can't speak for many besides myself, but some obtain a handle on the dark power, or can suppress it."

The brunette's eyes vastly widened at the redhead. _A Heartless . . . is INSIDE him . . . ? Is that . . . why he looks so __**scary?**_ Beneath his thick head of hair, perspiration gathered. He was not a hundred percent certain what it meant, a "massive concentration of darkness and chakra" being "sealed" inside the boy, but it did seem that Hikari trusted him . . . therefore, he would as well. Besides, the fact that it was "sealed" most likely mean the Heartless was dormant, and he said he had "a handle on the dark power" or could "suppress it;" that meant it was not a threat to anyone, right? There was no reason for him to worry . . . despite Gaara's appearance.

"That pair down there," Hikari pointed," is part of a criminal organization called the Akatsuki that formed on our world many years ago. That black cloak with red clouds is, basically, their uniform. Every member is an S-rank criminal, the worst—and most formidable—there is. You'd think that, even if they could defeat Heartless easily darkness might've gotten to them. . . . They're after the jinchuuriki, but we never figured out why exactly; the Heartless destroyed everything, first." She touched her chin. "But if they don't know about you, they could be involved in Jafar's coup, and also the princess's capture.

"It's jumping to conclusions, but . . . ," she wrinkled her nose, ". . . you can smell it. They _reek_ of blood and darkness." Turning her face to Gaara, she questioned, "Wouldn't you agree? So. Whataya say? Take them down?" She lowered her gaze. "I know you want to be the one who saves the princess, but—"

"You don't have to patronize me," he interrupted. His expression was difficult to read, but definitely not frivolous. "I know what I must do."

Suddenly, riding a clay bird large enough for him to perch upon, Deidara came up on their side; all three of the teens were caught off-guard. "Good! I hope you move exactly as your heart commands you to, jinchuuriki. Hmm." He smirked and threw some clay spiders at them.

Hikari and Sora both raised their arms and shut their eyes. Gaara guided some sand from the cloud to encase the clay pieces, but before they were contained, they detonated; incidentally, due to their position, the sand cloud was split, and the portion holding Sora and Hikari crumbled beneath them.

"No!" uttered the latter whereas Sora yelped. She quickly turned her body around to face the ground and curled up in hope of minimizing damage when she would impact the sand. By the time they had been attacked, Gaara's sand cloud had lowered itself to roughly the level of a second story window, so threat of injury was minimal—particularly with the right precautions.

At the right moment, just before hitting the ground, she rolled to displace the momentum and stood upright, facing the figures they had viewed from the sky. Next to her, Sora fell on his rump and groaned; he smarted, but did not appear to have sustained any visible injuries. He was, however, a little wobbly as he tried to stand. "What was that?"

She glanced up and back. Apparently, Gaara had been able to gather his bearings, for he remained aloft and was pitted against the rider of the clay bird. "Explosives; looked like clay or something. Don't worry about him, though, Gaara's a skilled ninja and can handle himself . . . frankly, he's the only one that can be on the same playing field as him without restriction." She signaled Gaara to continue after the pyrotechnic when he began heading toward the city; she turned her full attention to the pair before her.

Sasori regarded the kunoichi and Keybearer with a light smile. His half-lidded eyes were natural and made him appear cool and calm, despite the stance he had taken. Raised by his face were his hands, which had threads of chakra at his fingertips that were attached to the figure next to him: a human puppet.

The puppet had parts of its skin colored a deep brown under an Akatsuki coat. Hinges, spherical joints, and an inhuman texture confirmed its class. Its eyes were golden yellow, its hair was spiky, and it had sharp fangs.

Sora summoned his Keyblade and took his natural battle stance. "So, me and you against this guy and his doll. We can do this, no problem."

The puppet master formed a slight smile that did not reach his bored eyes. "Pity to be so obtuse. No matter." His teal-polished fingers moved as he directed his puppet toward Sora and Hikari; in reaction, Hikari formed a supplementary seal. "You won't feel the bliss of ignorance much longer."

Performing a supplementary seal, Hikari called chakra to her fingertips and touched her newest summon gem. Vividly green and decorated with two pink dots, it was the one she had obtained subsequent to vanquishing the Sound Four; she had yet to take the time to see what it contained, so she knew naught of its side-effects or power.

_I know it's risky to try a new gem without knowing the power or side-effects, but if I don't deactivate it until after the fight, I should be fine._ As the puppet made its way toward them, they raised their guard and Hikari felt the knowledge and certainty of the gem fill her bones.

". . . !" _Bones?_ Her muscles tensed. _The heart in this gem is__—__!_ The process of thought broke momentarily when the right arm of Sasori's puppet revealed numerous scythe-like blades, all dripping with a deep, violet, liquid poison. Sora was standing in its path with his Keyblade ready to defend.

A moment before the puppet would strike, Hikari jumped in front of the Key and raised her right arm across the front of her body. From many points along her forearm, bones branched from her pre-existing skeleton and acted as an effective shield; the cover was like a bundle of bananas or a cage. She narrowed her eyes at the bones. _Kimimarou . . . this power is __**Kimimarou's.**_

When she lifted her gaze from the bones, she looked passed the face of the puppet to Sasori. Eyes narrowed still, she scanned him from head to toe. "Sora, you apparently don't comprehend what I meant when I said the Akatsuki is made up of the strongest criminals of my world. Don't take him lightly. In the Land of Shuriken and Kunai, the art of puppet mastery was a legit technique . . . and this man happens to be perhaps the best.

"Sasori of the Red Sands, isn't that right?" she inquired. _I'm pretty sure. Orochimaru was partnered with him when he was part of the Akatsuki . . . but that was before my time with him, and he only told me a few things. I don't remember much about this guy, or his art, but I've been told he's powerful._

"For my name to be known all the way down to a kid like you . . . is an honor," stated the subject in question. He withdrew the puppet momentarily. "But I don't like to wait or keep others waiting, so . . . I'll make this short and sweet." Once more he tried to strike her, this time homing in on her left—the opposite of where she had the bones for a shield.

Before he could best her defense, she twisted and shoved her bones so they interlocked with the scythe blades. Her flesh was just out of the blades' reach. Her body was half-turned toward Sasori, so she had to reinforce the stability of her arm with her other hand bracing the top of her lower arm.

With minutely widened eyes, he directed his marionette to release the contraption, withdraw, and replace its arm. The other arm of the puppet retracted into the body and a buzz saw took its place. "Try this out." With this weapon, Hikari was pursued once more.

Hikari released the bones protruding from her arm once they and the scythes had ungraciously fallen to the sand after the puppet's detachment. The bones remained entangled. Another bone emerged from her left shoulder, which she took hold of and gently pulled out; it was like a sword sans a hilt. The openings where the bones had come from regenerated without a scar.

Sora watched with pink cheeks as she led the fight away from him. As wrong as it felt for him to remain idle as she fought, he did not attempt to follow or include himself; he was far too wary of getting in the way. The expeditious, adept movement of Sasori's puppet was candidly beautiful; his mastery was a work of art that amazed. Even if he did try to attack the Akatsuki ninja directly, it was possible that the puppet would move to kill him before he would get close enough. The open desert made it virtually impossible to sneak up on him. If there was a way, he did not know it; therefore, he had little choice but to stay put.

He realized something else, also.

Usually, when they had skirmishes with the Heartless, he was too busy fighting to regard Hikari in combat. In some cases, they were separated, or she did not participate (due to capture or injury.) At present was the first time he had seen her in battle—namely, if one were to discount the random technique here or there like he did.

Despite their complete differences in personality and appearance, seeing her come to blows made the fact that she was related to Naruto a little more credible. Though she used different techniques from Naruto, he could see glimmers of a similar style. She had a bit more tact and intelligence, thinking things through, but still made a reckless move or two—ones that, thankfully, did not cost her.

He noticed, furthermore, she was marginally ruthless—subtly, as if it was an instinct nearly eclipsed by many less callous ones.

Yet in spite of his respect for her abilities, something did not feel right—especially about when she had jumped in front to protect him. She was a girl. A girl should not have to put herself in harm's way to protect a boy—_him._ He liked the thought of keeping a girl safe—friends especially. He wanted to protect those he cared about, and the innocent.

He was worried, too, because even though she had skill, the kunoichi had her damsel-in-distress moments.

She was using the bone sword to defend against the buzz saw since Sasori did not give her the opportunity to attack. Sparks were visible each time they clashed, probably because the weapons mutually wore each other down. The bone was surprisingly durable, regardless of how, generally, saws would be used for amputations; therefore, it should have been able to cut through.

When they parted she jumped back and examined the wear on her sword. There were many interspersed spaces where the buzz saw had caused damage; the depths varied but were shallow. As for the buzz saw of Sasori's puppet, the blade had worn down to naught.

While the puppet appeared unarmed, and Sasori began reeling it in, Hikari switched the hand holding the sword and ran back a little toward Sora. In her wake, she fired the bones of her fingers of her right hand at the puppet. There was a spin to them that, when they came in contact with the body of the puppet, drilled through the robe and shell. Since the bones would regenerate as soon as they were ushered out, there was a limitless supply, but she let up when she met with Sora.

Sora looked over Hikari's body as he stood with her. Seemingly, she was completely fine—notwithstanding she hunched a little, slightly winded—for not a single scar or wound of any kind marred her body. The sole clue that something had punctured her—and in this case he was sure it was from the bones—was a tear in the shoulder of her fishnet.

He felt some relief. Maybe she would not end up as the damsel-in-distress, after all.

The kunoichi straightened, breathing evenly as she watched Sasori and his puppet. Both she and the Key waited with their guards raised.

Sasori's half-lidded eyes were a smidgen narrowed with irritation as the puppet replaced its arm. "This is starting to get messy, better play my next hand." He wiggled his pinky and the jaw of his puppet dropped. Ominously, a black, grainy substance percolated from its mouth.

Visibly but minutely on edge, Sora inquired, "What is that stuff? Gun powder?" Hikari shrugged and shook her head.

Smiling a light, teasing smile, the puppeteer declared, "I have no use for a tool as petty as the fireworks my ignorant partner calls 'art.' No, this is not gun powder. It is a technique called 'Iron Sand.'"

Under her breathe, Hikari repeated, ""'Iron Sand' . . . ?" and searched her memory.

Next to her, her ally watched the sand permeate the space. In the clenched hand hanging at his side, he felt a tugging force on the Keyblade. Slowly it raised and pointed itself at the Iron Sand. The force was strong; the Key was trying to rip itself from his hand. "Huh?" He took his other hand and grabbed near the teeth of the weapon; his own teeth grit and he grunted with effort. In disregard of his protest, the Key continued to gravitate toward their opponent. The force was strong enough that he could feel the Key slip steadily from his grip as it dragged him a few inches across the sand.

Then, in a flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared, leaving Sora seemingly defenseless. "What? The Keyblade's never disappeared like that before. . . ." He stared at his hands, completely bewildered. "Why . . . why did it tear away?" He shot Sasori an accusing glare. "What did you do?"

Answering with a taunting sort of satisfaction, Sasori explained. "It's the Iron Sand. That Keyblade of yours, like most, is comprised of metal. This Iron Sand—," the puppet released the last of its substance and shut its mouth, "—has magnetic properties, rendering your Keyblade useless." He chuckled. "Rather disappointing, actually. Less magnificent than I'd imagined."

"Iron Sand!" piped the kunoichi abruptly, prompting the redhead's bored stare. Her face wrinkled as she struggled to remember. "Iron Sand was an ability _exclusive_ to the Third Kazekage. He developed it himself. . . . You shouldn't be able to use it; it . . . branched from a kekkai genkai of his. . . .""

"Quite the informed little girl, aren't you? Yes, Iron Sand is exclusive to the Third Kazekage . . . or in this case, those who manipulate the puppet I've made from his corpse."Figuratively patting himself on the back, he added, "He was the hardest to kill and add to my collection. But that's what makes him my favorite."

Raising a brow, Sora repeated, "The Third . . . Kazekage?" Lowering his voice, he whispered to his comrade, "You said the 'Kazekage' was the strongest ninja of the 'Sand Village,' right?"

Her eyes were narrowed. A bead of sweat passed her temple and clung to her cheek. "He's supposed to be." _So . . . not only in his art, but stronger than a Kazekage?_ Swallowing her doubt, she said, "Well, Sora . . . looks like we have our work cut out for us. Whatever you do, don't allow any attacks to land—everything I've seen so far has been coated in poison, and we don't have antidote of any kind." She handed the bone sword to him. "Stronger than steel, but still bone. The magnetic properties shouldn't affect it."

Knowing he could not be picky in this situation—and boy, did he have reservations about using someone's _bone _as a weapon—he accepted it with a smile. "Thanks. You be careful too."

She nodded. "Mm. The sooner this is over, the better."

The puppeteer sustained his amused smile. "I agree. Don't worry, I'll end this quickly. _Iron Sand Drizzle!_"

Every grain of that filled the air around its controller rained toward Sora and Hikari as if swept by the wind. Some appeared to have gathered into needle-like clumps. The area covered was massive and extended too far for them to outrun it in either direction. "Ha! Not long now!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sora lift his sword, but she didn't see what he did with it. Stepping away from him, more bones branched off of her pre-existing skeletal structure, much like before, but this time the cover was a bit more thorough on her torso. What appeared like a second set of ribs tore through her shirt, and many bones covered both her arms.

_Dance of the Larch._ Performing as the gem dictated, she rapidly spun, somewhat akin to the Hyuuga's Eight Trigrams: Rotation. Like the rotation, whatever came in contact with the bones was deterred from striking her, instead plunging into the sand.

"Aero!" Wind around Sora stirred, picking up a little sand that created a small, visible vortex around him. There were disturbances among his hair, baggy clothing, and loose accessories, but excluding that, there seemed to be no direct influence to him. Lowering the bone sword, he watched with little fear as the "windswept rain" precipitated toward him.

He flinched when the Iron Sand collided with his vortex, yet it turned out to be unwarranted. Instead of piercing through, the Iron Sand was picked up by the vortex and mixed with the regular sand; the spell was one of defense, unlike the ones he had previously learned, and it was effective in redirecting projectiles.

The projectiles that did not get caught in the wind or were diverted by Hikari's spins pelleted heavily into the ground, dimpling and creating many craters. When they finished precipitating, their manipulator had slightly widened eyes. "Oh? You were both able to survive that?"

Hikari completed the Dance of the Larch and ceased spinning; for a moment after, she swayed with a light dizziness. There were some tears and scrapes on her clothes from random points of impact. Fortunately, there were no actual points of contact on her body; the Iron Sand had grazed her clothes, but had not broken her skin. _That . . . was close._

Aero ran its course and the winds died around Sora, dropping the sands it held, too. Raising the sword of bone, he regarded the Iron Sand as it trickled from their feet back toward its host, the Kazekage puppet. From there it raised high above them, coming together into two masses. They had to crane their necks to keep them as a part of their visual.

The forms taken by the Iron Sand Gathering were a giant, rectangular object and something like a pyramid that hung just above the Kazekage puppet. The peak of the pyramid pointed toward them. _"Hehe, I'll grind your bones into dust!"_ he shouted; his expression showed simple amusement.

There was great speed when the Iron Sand: Spear (the pyramid) tapered to a point that extended in Sora's direction. Barely able to avoid it in time by rolling, he verbally exclaimed. He had to run when he was back on his feet, for the point plowed through his footprints. He was hardly allowed a second's rest. To avoid one movement, he had to dive. Immediately, he rolled beneath the underside of the spear-like object and came to his feet again.

The "spear" twisted and morphed its shape so a different corner was tapering. This time, it headed for Hikari. Prepared for the swiftness she had witnessed, she jumped up to dodge and planted her feet on one of the faces. Watching Sasori, she concentrated chakra to the soles of her feet for stability and ran up the side.

A small expression of surprise crossed his visage. There was a hint of a smile that had sustained, but he was still calm and almost bored in appearance. His teal-polished fingers moved once more, but neither the Kazekage nor the spear on which she ran seemed to move, remaining stationary almost completely.

Alarmed by this, the dark-haired kunoichi moved her eyes elsewhere. In her peripheral vision, she saw a giant mass—a giant mass that, under more direct scrutiny, turned out to be the rectangular hammer created by the Iron Sand. Before she had an opportunity to react, the side of the rectangle hammered into her and sent her flying off of the spear.

"You're too slow!"

"Hiki!" Sora followed in her footsteps and ran up the side of the spear; a feat that was possible for him without chakra because the angle was just small enough for him to persevere against gravity. When he got to about the point that Hikari had been slammed off of, he jumped off toward the Iron Sand: Hammer.

"TAKE THIS!" Sora raised the bone sword and arched as far back as he could. With a grand yell, he threw his weight into a single, vertical swing that sliced through the width of the hammer, halving its mass. The bottom half, unconnected from chakra strings, freely fell; gravity called Sora as well as the hammer.

Hikari roughly collided with the sand and rolled multiple times, guided by the force of the impact. The bones she still wore were able to save her body from direct damage from the block, but rolling was made awkward. Since the tips would pierce into the sand, she did not roll as far as Sora would have. Due to the bones taking the direct touch, she did not suffer poisoning.

Shortly she got back on her feet and glanced at Sasori—who appeared minutely angered at the splitting of his Iron Sand: Hammer—before looking up at the objects fresh after Sora's slicing. Her eyes were wide as she watched Sora descend toward the ground, acknowledging that it must have required quite a caliber of strength to get a sword—especially one made more to puncture—all the way through the block.

She seemed to underestimate him. . . . She had, at first, thought of him as simply the "Key," and thought any strength or skill he had derived from that. She assumed the ordinary of him—mostly because he _looked_ ordinary. . . . She was impressed.

She did not let that thought linger—another idea crossed her mind. Regarding the descending half of the hammer, she performed a few hand signs and took a deep breath, bringing a circle made of her finger and thumb to her lips. Intently she stared at the block and angled her head. _Either this'll set the block on fire, or break it apart into little fiery pieces. Let's hope for the first. Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!_

The kunoichi breathed a giant fireball that headed straight toward the block. As hoped, the fire consumed the block, not destroying it but covering it in flame. It also rose the block a few feet, giving them a little bit more time before it would land.

Next, while Sora still had a ways to go before touching his feet to the sand, Hikari ran to where he would land and looked up. Quickly she bent her knees and sprung into the sky, rising toward him. Her eyes were fixed on him as she raised her arm in front of her. When he was within earshot, she called his name.

The brunette looked over his shoulder. "Hiki?"

"Kick off the bones and spring toward the block. Use the blunt end of the sword to shove the block to smash the Kazekage puppet," she concisely explained. "Oh, and try not to get burned."

"_What?"_

"You heard me. This is our best chance to defeat that puppet!" She placed one of her bone-covered arms beneath his yellow shoes. "Do it now, before it's too late! Remember—don't hit, shove."

After a single moment's hesitation, he nodded and crouched on her arm. With power, he kicked off of the bones and darted toward the flaming block. His brow furrowed in concentration while he shifted the bone sword so his grip was nearer to the tip he held the blunt end in front of him. He held it in such a way that it would definitely contact the block before he would.

Heat radiated from the massive object. If it were not for the less-than-welcoming mood of the scenario, he would have compared it to sitting to close to a lit fireplace or campfire. It was closer to the feel of being out in the sun on a summer day when the heat was so hellish one could cook an egg on the sidewalk—only, with greater risk of a more serious type of burn.

As he approached the flaming Iron Sand: Hammer, he tried twisting his body away and further jutting the blunt end of the bone toward it. He rose just above the top edge of the hammer and placed the sword as instructed. Then, he shifted his weight and heavily thrust the block down to the Kazekage puppet and Sasori. With a grinning smirk, he declared a jutsu name: "Sora and Hiki Style: Iron Meteorite Jutsu!"

The thrust had been nigh herculean, changing the course of the object in favor of gravity—which gladly accepted it. The Iron Sand: Hammer destroyed the Kazekage puppet and then both it and the Iron Sand: Spear collapsed, completely useless without the middle man. Sasori, however, had been able to circumvent.

"How dare you!" yelled the puppeteer as he slid across the sand. He seemed to have a sort of stiff face. Although he narrowed his eyes and rage was plain in his voice, his expression had not drastically changed. The fire continuing to burn in the sand gave more light in the night, but darkened the shadows of everyone's faces.

Sora landed on the sand with a big grin on his face a small distance from Hikari. Allowing the bone sword to drop from his grip, he held out his right hand and watched as, in a flash of light, his Keyblade manifested again. Softening his eyes, he gripped it with a renewed comfort and hoisted it onto his shoulder proudly.

Almost cockily, he put his first on his hip and glanced at Hikari. "Hehe, looks like I'm a ninja now, too!"

Despite herself, Hikari cracked a smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It's not over yet."

Sasori stood and caught sight of a forgotten contraption not far away from him. Lying with sand threatening to wedge into the cracks, the weapon he had detached from the Kazekage puppet remained with Hikari's bones wedged in-between the blades. His lip curled as he raised his hand and attached chakra strings to the contraption. It was lifted from the ground.

The Keybearer lowered his weapon and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know that. But we took away his weapon, so—!"

Something struck Sora's back.

**End of Chapter Eighteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Nineteen: Whisper of the Heart

_Fine. I'll admit it; they're more impressive than I thought. Especially that brat with the Key._ He reached up to the large collar of his robe and pried apart the first button down the line of red in the middle. With a still expression, he continued to unbutton. _I never thought I'd see the Third Kazekage destroyed, and it's probably a waste to use other human puppets._

"I haven't had to solve a problem like this since I joined the Akastuki. I wonder how long it's been?" he began. His teal nails unfastened one last button that allowed him to disrobe. The cloth gracefully settled on the sand near his teal-polished toes. Where his stomach should have been, a steel-laced cable was unwinding. The stinger end passed light blue-violet pants (which tucked into knee-high zori) and planted into the ground. His feet left the ground and stepped onto the cable, which appeared to support his wait and lift him up.

"Yes, it's been awhile indeed since I last used . . . _myself._"

* * *

FINALLY, an update that didn't exceed a month! :D I'm sort of surprised I was able to get this out in two weeks... chapter nineteen was a little bit simpler than I thought, but then maybe that was because I had much less distraction XD Traded the TV for music on meh PSP! I'm already two pages into chapter twenty, also, so maybe I can keep this bi-weekly thing up, if only for a little bit (I have no idea what senior year will be like, but it starts the eighth of next month; one day after the release of Birth by Sleep!) So... we'll look forward to that, won't we XP?

So, about this chapter. First battle with a Naruto character versus a Kingdom Hearts character, isn't that right? Interesting write... I'll say more when I post the next chapter, but I'll admit, it gave me trouble ^^' Since that actual fight in Shippuuden had another puppet user against Sasori as well as Sakura, I couldn't reference it too much... not that I wanted to create the same fight anyway.

"Sora and Hiki Style: Iron Meteorite Jutsu!" XD I had a stupid grin on my face the entire time I was writing that part. One of my favorite lines in this chapter, the other being "If grey clouds are a storm, then that red is bloody carnage."

Hmmm... .I don't know what to say ^^' **Thanks for reading, please leave a review, God bless.** By the way, if any of you want to see a requited love between a Naruto character and a Kingdom Hearts character, feel free to tell me... I'm out of ideas in that respect, myself, but who knows? You guys may suggest one I haven't thought of and I may be able to make it work. Mind, this story will continue into a Chain of Memories sequel and a KHII sequel-respectively titled Road to Dawn and Delusion of Dusk-therefore you can pull characters from there as well :) I can even see about reviving some pre-Shippuuden characters of Naruto, but that'd take some plot-twisting...

MAYBE, depending on how familiar I am with them, I can bring in a Final Fantasy character. Since I've played through most of A Compilation of Final Fantasy (in the middle of Dirge of Cerberus! :P) I do intend to take the characters back to their roots some more, personality-wise.

I'm also thinking of bringing back Aki's Author Corner. Roses are Red fans will remember it as a fun little omake-type thing in which I (and in the case of RaR, Yin and Yang) talked about the chapters, thanked readers-it was most of the time short and sweet, sprinkled with humor :) And sometimes OOCness. But it's not connected to the actual story, so who cares :P? If I bring it back for WDTL, accompanying me regularly may be Chip and Dale... Not sure. Any thoughts?


	19. Whisper of the Heart

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Almost cockily, he put his first on his hip and glanced at Hikari. "Hehe, looks like I'm a ninja now, too!"

Despite herself, Hikari cracked a smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It's not over yet."

Sasori stood and caught sight of a forgotten contraption not far away from him. Lying with sand threatening to wedge into the cracks, the weapon he had detached from the Kazekage puppet remained with Hikari's bones wedged in-between the blades. His lip curled as he raised his hand and attached chakra strings to the contraption. It was lifted from the ground.

The Keybearer lowered his weapon and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know that. But we took away his weapon, so—!"

Something struck Sora's back.

**Chapter Nineteen: Whisper of the Heart**

Blue butterflies, seeming to glow as their shimmering wings reflected light, had fluttered around them in that waterfall cavern in a similar way that feelings had fluttered through her body as her and Sora's palms touched. Although she had not had "butterflies in her tummy," the feelings had been warm and fuzzy all the same—and they had been _real._

Of all feelings she had experienced, in spite of her not possessing a heart, the emotions weaved during the flight of those butterflies had been the most veritable and strongest of all preceding in three years. There had been the phantoms, the "memory-manifestations," but nothing had matched the strength. Beforehand, the strength had not continued on, either.

She recalled the butterflies briefly, for they were referenced in "flutters," but she could recognize the feeling in her stomach was not that. Upon watching Sora be struck from behind by a potentially poisonous—and fatal—weapon, she felt not a flutter but a deep _tension._ The tension was heavy in her gut and had plunged after a jump of fear.

This was different from the stirring in her chest when she thought Cloud had killed him. Similar, but stronger. She was definitely not as Heartless as she had previously believed. . . .

_Sora!_ Hikari saw him fall over, but could not be sure if it was from force of impact, pain, or his body's immediate response to the poison. For all she knew, it could have been all three. She tried to close the small distance, but the scythe blade/bone contraption lifted from his back and pursued her. The movement was a little less than graceful due to its instability and crude design.

When it approached her, she performed the Dance of the Larch as she did during the Iron Sand Drizzle. As this taijutsu dance was not solely an effective defense to ward attacks, the offensive capabilities came to light when her bones began destroying the contraption with spins, twists, and thrusts that simply tore it apart.

At the end of the dance, the parts of the scythe blades and bones were strewn in the sands and Hikari remained unharmed. Sora was a few feet away, lifting himself to his hands and knees, slowly . . . which he would not have been able to do if he were poisoned.

_The bones were still mixed with the blades . . . maybe, because they were farther out, the bones struck him and the blades could not reach? Poison must not have leaked onto the bones . . . ,_ she speculated as she approached him. Keeping an eye on Sasori in her peripherals, she lowered herself to the Keybearer's level. She had to be careful how close she was to him because of the bones.

Acting presumptuously, she carefully touched one of the wounds, causing him to flinch and grunt. Blood steadily seeped from the wound, but fortunately not profusely. The pattern of the wound was more rough than one sustained from a smooth-edged blade; in her non-medical ninja opinion, that almost confirmed he had been struck by the bones.

In the long run, it would definitely require attention, but it was not mortal. "They're shallow . . . the blood cover's kinda wide, and the gashes are sort of shorter than their width; they're just a couple inches long. An elixir should work for a temporary solution, then Donald can try a few spells later. How do you feel?"

He lifted himself onto one knee. "I'm fine," he replied. To his chagrin, he admitted, "Just a lot of pain . . . but I can work through it." Into his left pocket he reached for an elixir. He was not able to completely comprehend the severity of his wounds for he could not necessarily feel them. He felt a considerable amount of pain centering in the area where he had been struck and felt liquid—that he assumed to be blood—stuck there. When he downed the elixir—_Yuck!_—in a single swig, the pain subsided for the most part, feeling more like a pin prick or paper cut.

With that minor yet certainly welcome relief, he stood and faced Sasori. He was minutely shaken; minuscule lines were apparent around his eyes. Squarely he stared at the puppetless puppeteer. "Let's finish this." As if to reassure himself of his dexterity, he twirled his Keyblade before taking the proper stance.

Hikari examined him for a moment but nodded and took her own stance, pointing the fingers of her right hand toward Sasori.

Characteristic of a doll, Sasori's expression had once again not changed much from lack thereof; yet currently there was no mistaking an alteration to a frown as he scowled at the pair before him. The changes were nearly small enough to be microscopic. In comparison perhaps to the chaotic rage of a thundering maelstrom at sea, he looked to be disturbed as far as a single pebble being dropped into a small pool.

_Fine. I'll admit it; they're more impressive than I thought. Especially that brat with the Key._ He reached up to the large collar of his robe and pried apart the first button down the line of red in the middle. With a still expression, he continued to unbutton. _I never thought I'd see the Third Kazekage destroyed, and it's probably a waste to use other human puppets._

"I haven't had to solve a problem like this since I joined the Akastuki. I wonder how long it's been?" he began. His teal nails unfastened one last button that allowed him to disrobe. The cloth gracefully settled on the sand near his teal-polished toes. Where his stomach should have been, a steel-laced cable was unwinding. The stinger end passed light blue-violet pants (which tucked into knee-high zori) and planted into the ground. His feet left the ground and stepped onto the cable, which appeared to support his weight and lift him up.

"Yes, it's been awhile indeed since I last used . . . _myself._"

Sora and Hikari gawked at the sight before them. Aside from the cable replacing his stomach, there were multiple other inhuman components about his body. In place of pectoral muscles, there was a compartment for either side of his chest. The left compartment had veins centering around the border of a raised keyhole. Like his puppets, there were lines defining his joints—all except for his face. Attached to the back of his hips were two poles equipped with five large blades.

"Hold on . . . ," the brunette uttered, ". . . is _he_ a puppet?"

Slowly the kunoichi nodded. _Now that I think about it, there's no way he could be the age he looks like and have been partnered with Orochimaru . . . he doesn't look older than me! He would've been too young. But, a puppet body wouldn't age. . . . Because it isn't human, I wonder if it gets tired . . . it could easily outlast us, I bet. . . . _She looked at Sora. _Sora looks like he's got a good amount of energy left, but if he's hit like that again. . . ._

Her gaze returned to Sasori. In contrast with the calm, half-closed eyes he had presented earlier, his sclera was completely visible around his brown irises, providing a greater, more eerie edge to his demeanor. He seemed almost maniacal.

Once swallowing a disturbed thought, she said, "Sora . . . I think you should go on ahead. The Keyblade told you where the Keyhole is; you should listen to it and go find it."

The brunette reacted. ". . . What?" He stared at her. "No way! I'm not letting you take this guy—er, puppet—_alone!_"

"It's for the best," she stated. "You're lucky it was the bones that hit you and not his blades, just like you were lucky when you fought Cloud. He almost killed you before Cerberus interrupted." As she spoke, she would not look at him. She pursed her lips a little, having some trouble finding words. . . . "You're the Key, the hero of the Keyblade. You should listen to it. If Lady Luck decides to diss you next, you won't be able to continue being a hero. . . ." After a moment, she said with dry humor, "Sorry . . . 'junior hero.'"

". . . ." He lowered his gaze toward the ground and caught his Keyblade in his peripherals. He knew precisely what she was saying, but it felt unjust, simply wrong. Maybe his survival in certain situations had been matters of luck; yet in light of her damsel-in-distress moments, could the same not be said of her? She could just as easily end up the unlucky one. . . .

Wearing a calm expression, he regarded Sasori once more and shifted his position, creating a firmer grip on his weapon. "No way."

". . . !" Hikari's head snapped in his direction; she blinked. "Huh? Why not? Don't be stupid!"

"Stupid? I'm not being stupid!" he retorted. His eyes were shadowed by his lashes. "But . . . I can't listen to the Keyblade. Not—," he closed his eyes and shook his head, "—when my _heart_ is saying something totally different." He opened his eyes and solemnly gazed at their puppet opponent. "My heart . . . is telling me that I need to stay and fight by my friend's side."

A warmth rose in Hikari's chest. While blue butterflies had surrounded them both in that cavern behind the waterfall, there had been that single thought that seemed to have triggered all of those feelings she felt then. Now, it served as a reminder: _A friend isn't expendable._ It was because of that simple rule that he could not leave her behind. "All for one. . . ."

"I'm sorry, weren't you going to finish me off?" Sasori interrupted, prompting cognizance from both Hikari and Sora. Clearly his patience had worn thin. "If not . . . ," he raised his arms and pointed his palms toward them; pipes extended from the center, ". . . I'll just have to make the first move!"

His eyes were widened and his lips curled, furthering manifesting that crazed—certainly more expressive—grin as flame sprouted from the pipes in a heavy stream that easily stretched toward them. "Goodbye ,you brats!" he shouted.

Quickly, in summon gem-generated instinct, Hikari crouched (barely able to get her knees between the bones branching from her arms,) planted her palms against the ground, and extended her bones into the sand. Familiar black lines crept from the area of her chest and collarbone to her neck and chin as, just before the fire would incinerate them, more bones rose before them in a fence-like shield. The gaps between the spokes were too small for anything but diminutive wisps to pass.

Next to her, Sora was crouched as well though he tried to peek at their puppet adversary. The fire from the stream tinted the light portions of their skin orange and darkened the shadows; the heat drew out a thin layer of sweat that glistened. Intensity of the heat was quickly charring the bone—_("What are you going to do now?")_—black. He glanced at Hikari, who still had her palms against the ground, as she produced another layer of bone to reinforce the shield.

He looked down from her face and saw the markings on her chin and neck. They were sharp, crescent moon-like designs that were strung together. "Hiki, what are those markings?"

She did not have to look in order to see what he inquired about; as soon as she had produced the shield, she had felt the curse mark activate. In order to perform the technique, extra power had been in order; thereby triggering the curse mark's spread. The feeling was a little different, however, and the pattern was not her own. The former seemed almost disconnected due to the latter; it was not her curse mark that had been activated.

It was Kimimarou's.

Evidently, Orochimaru had taken the risk of a ninety percent chance of death in order to bestow the power of the curse mark on his prize pupil. Stored in the gem was not only the power of Kimimarou's kekkai genkai Shikotsumyaku and his pure chakra, but the tainted as well. Although he had received it after Hikari's tenure under Orochimaru's tutelage, she knew his mark was in the center of his chest and looked like three of the little crescents pointing toward the same point.

"Don't worry about the markings," she replied. "They're a story for another time. If I decide to tell you, that is."

"_You think you can hide from me?"_ growled Sasori as the flame subsided. One of the four scrolls on his back disappeared. Wordlessly he stepped off of the cable and it reeled back into his stomach cavity. Then the pipes sprouted powerful jets of water directly where the fire had heated the bone. Steam rose from the meeting of heated prop and water.

Due to the sudden cooling of the weakened, heated bone, they began to hear an ominous cracking. The water's pressure drilled through too quickly for Hikari to manifest another layer to reinforce the shield, so she and the Keybearer had to abandon it. They dodged debris and the stream by dashing back and apart.

Both of them were pursued by either one of the streams as Sasori swung his arms to follow their movement. He twisted, twirled, and swept, sometimes feinting in order to trick them. In some ways, it was almost like he wielded two extremely long swords. As his puppet body allowed him to do so, he rotated his arms at his elbows; this tightened the barrel of the pipes extending from his hands, thus narrowing the streams and increasing the pressure.

Sora jumped high to avoid a jet that would have swept across his stomach. Instead, it stretched into the distance and sliced through a sand dune that subsequently collapsed. _"How long do you plan to dance around?"_ The water seemed to quickly run out in comparison to the fire as a second scroll disappeared from his back and the stream dwindled to naught. _"Fine, be that way."_

The pipes sank back into his palms and he let his arms fall to his sides. Hikari and Sora discontinued "dancing around," though Hikari had to step aside in order to circumvent the cable's stinger when it jutted toward her. The point dug into the sand behind her. Just enough to spring him forward, he pulled the cable taut and directed the blades on the poles at his back to spin like the rotors of a plane.

Slacking the cable as the blades carried him allowed the Akatsuki ninja to fly toward her. _"Here I come!"_

_What? So that's what those things are for. . . ._ She performed a string of hand seals for Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. _Well, don't think I'm just going to let you come at me. Maybe this will bring back memories; I'm not proud of it, but I learned this from Orochimaru._

Similar to how she would expel a large breath of fire for the Great Fireball Jutsu, she released a giant, terrible wind that picked up a great amount of sand before impacting Sasori. The wind current was strong enough that even with the blades working to propel him forward, he was pushed back a little, kept at bay. Sand that pelleted also hit his joints, seeming to cross into the gaps. He was glaring at her with wide eyes.

"_You witch!"_

Toward the end of the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Sora casted Fire into Hikari's wind current. The wind amplified the flame in one giant burst. Sasori stopped the rotation of the blades on his back, thus tearing control of his movement from the wind. The fire barely singed one of his blades as he fell.

He landed on his feet near where the Iron Sand was somehow managing to fuel a fire. Stiff, he lifted one of his arms and rotated his elbow; the movement was restricted. The fire lit up his dark smirk as he noticed the intruding sand and regarded the pair opposing him. In an irritated sort of humor, he remarked, "Heh. It's embarrassing, really. . . . How long does it take to finish a little girl and a brat with a key?"

Knowing he needed to finish them before more sand stopped up his joints, he tried a different approach. He kept his arm in front of him as he flexed his fingers and attached chakra strings to Hikari's limbs and torso, a move which she had been unable to feel. The circles around Sasori's eyes darkened, the sclera around his irises widened, and his lips further curled. _"Let's see how you are as a doll!"_

Hikari had only enough time to narrow her eyes inquisitively before she was lifted off her feet and suspended. As she struggled to free herself she found that she had a restricted amount of free will; she could only move so much. Then, Sasori swept his hand in front of him; subsequently, Hikari was flung toward the fire.

Sora's eyes widened as he tried to quickly think. Chakra threads were invisible to his eyes, not to mention he had no means of cutting them—if that was even possible. Sasori was too far away for him to run up and attack him directly. He did not know any water magic—_Oh!_

The Keybearer gripped the handle of his Keyblade with both hands and pointed the tip at where the fire was gradually growing smaller. The mound of Iron Sand was visible now and glowing with immense heat; without a doubt, if she were to come in contact with it, she would seriously burn. He frowned. "Blizzard!"

A great, icy mist left the point of the Keyblade and permeated to the fire. Blown away and encased respectively, the fire was extinguished and the Iron Sand was cooled inside a block of ice. Instead of being burned, the dark-haired teen collided with the ice roughly. Her bones penetrated the block, sticking her to the side. Her face was wrinkled in pain.

Clearly angered, the puppet cursed. He was able to remove Hikari from the ice with multiple tugs and slammed her into the ground in order to make the string taut. She was audibly and visibly impacted, the latter evident both by her expression and the sand kicked up by the collision. Sasori dragged her across the sand, drew her closer to him. He raised his other arm.

His expression was more maniacal than ever as he attached chakra strings to Sora. _"I've never had a magic user as a puppet before . . . you'll be a first edition!"_ He lifted the boy from his feet and raised him into the air with Hikari. _"Perhaps not as amazing as the Third Kazekage, but for destroying him you owe me. Your body will suffice."_

"No way you're turning me into a puppet!" yelled the brunette. Inwardly, he groaned whilst wildly looking around with his little boy blues, trying to configure a next move before Sasori made his. Unfortunately, he was without any long range attacks. Consuming the elixir had replenished his capacity for magic, but in order to make Blizzard come out as a large, icy blast as opposed to a small block he had to expend it. Due to an underdeveloped magical facility, he did not have it in him to cast even a small spell.

_I should've grabbed ethers before we left the Gummi . . . ,_ he thought, and then his eyes fell on his opponent's chest .The Keyhole in the center of his left chest cavity caught his attention. An idea sparked.

"_This has gone on long enough,"_ the redhead puppet yelled. Lines around his wide eyes had deepened even further. The smile he wore was one of a player confident that he had already won the game as the poisoned cable in his stomach cavity unreeled. _"I'm ending this show now!"_ The stinger end of the cable shot toward Sora.

The brunette did not waste a moment. Going by the instinct in his heart and gut, he pointed his Keyblade and watched as—just like with the Keyholes in Wonderland and Deep Jungle—a beam of light connected the tip of his weapon and the keyhole on Sasori's chest.

Sasori's body became rigid and the cable was taut before it fell to the sand, mere feet from Sora. While the cavity of his chest was unlocked, his body was paralyzed (but for his face) and his chakra was forestalled. Since his chakra could not be accessed, the strings suspending his adversaries disconnected, and they fell to the ground.

Hikari landed in a crouch right in front of Sasori and glanced at the object which had been behind the keyhole as she produced another bone that protruded from her shoulder. A cylindrical object that was black on its side, white for its face, and had red kanji had appeared. She pulled the bone from her shoulder and stabbed its point into the center of the cylinder.

His eyes expressed shock. Cracks—wounds— in the cylinder formed around the bloodied sword; red liquid seeped from the cracks. The kunoichi's grip on the hiltless end of the sword was all that kept him standing. "How did you . . . that spot—"

"Is the only human part of an incomplete puppet, isn't that right?" she finished for him. Sora came up on her side, staring with hard eyes. "In order for you to use chakra, have your own will, live, and bleed, some part of you has to be human. I know little about hearts—," _bits and pieces the King learned,_ "—but everything that lives and exists, except for Heartless, has one." She looked at the cylinder. "Your scent is dark, but darkness is not the essence of your being. I guessed."

The kunoichi released the bone sword and watched him fall to the sand. The moonlight washed over his body as it laid flat on its back the sword protruding proudly. His eyes appeared a bit more relaxed, closer to their original sate. "That Keyblade . . . I severely underestimated its power. I knew that it opened all types of locks, but at that distance. . . ." His musings were not replied to.

Sora watched Hikari as she regarded one of her arms. She wore a complicated expression. On the one hand, she was almost bemused. On another, she seemed a little disgusted, almost like she had been appalled at having to use it. Yet, she also appeared grateful that she possessed it. He wanted to ask her about that, and the markings, but when he had opened his mouth, he remembered Deep Jungle; namely, before and after. In the end, she had stated, "I have my secrets that I must keep." . . . Perhaps they were—or some of—what she had been referring to.

She closed her eyes and must have deactivated the power for the markings seemed to shrink back to their origin and the bones retracted into her body; the "branches" sank back into her skeleton. Just before the tip submerged into her skin, a purple liquid dropped from a rib cage-like bone.

Sasori, who was the only one to have noticed the drip, smiled a little.

As soon as the bones returned inside her body, her shirt and fishnets—tarnished from all of the protrusions—fell from her body in rags and left solely her black, strapless bra to clothe her torso. Being a girl who preferred her modesty, the embarrassed kunoichi crossed her arms over her cleavage and midriff. "No way!" Pink, hidden by the dark of night, colored her cheeks.

Sora blushed too and stared at her with saucer-wide eyes. "Oh, whoa! Uhhh. . . ." As she hastily turned her back toward him, so did he. Nervously, he swallowed. His shoulders were tense. His heart was beating a little quicker. Being the innocent boy that he was, he had slim to nil experience with girls . . . he had never seen one with her bra, before. _That . . . was her __**bra.**__ . . . I can't wait to tell Riku!_

When his mind recovered, he dismissed the thought (_I'm not a pervert!_) and the Keyblade before removing his little blue jacket. Cautiously, trying to keep the covered half of her body in his peripheral and the not-so-covered part out, he sidled toward her and held out the jacket. "U-um, here."

With stuttered gratitude, she snatched up the little jacket and slipped both arms through the sleeves. Once she zipped up the front, she turned back around. The garment kept her chest well-covered, but ended a little above the navel. The pink had subsided. _I knew the shirt would have holes, but I hadn't thought that the bones were the only thing holding __**up.**_

Attempting the push that thought aside, she regarded Sasori. Both she and Sora recovered from the momentary awkwardness. "W-well, our work here is done. . . . Now we can either go back toward the city to help Gaara or contin—ngh!"

Suddenly, every muscle in her body locked with an immense, paralyzing pain, as if they were being attacked. The clarity of her vision, even as she narrowed her eyes, became undefined. Her breath was hitched and she groaned as she collapsed.

The brunette ran toward her and knelt by her side. "Hiki! What happened?" Gently he pulled her hair from her face.

Sweat was beginning to glisten on her forehead above narrowed eyes and her temples. Her body trembled in agony. "I don't . . . poison . . . but . . . he never . . . hit—!" She gasped, shut her eyes, and grit her teeth.

Sasori was smirking at the heavens. "She poisoned herself with those bones of hers. They were her main defense against me, and were struck by my poisoned weapons multiple times." He turned his head to meet stares with Sora, who looked over his shoulder. The former's maniacally widened eyes and smile of amusement had returned. "My poison remained on the surface of the bones, enough to affect her once they reentered her body." He snickered. "She'll die after three days of _unbearable_ agony."

"Agony?" He regarded her in concern. "Three days . . . maybe that'll be enough time to get her back to Traverse Town, and Sakura or Aerith could try and make an antidote. . . . Yeah. You'll be okay, Hiki."

"Heh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sasori's voice drew the boy's attention once more. He was staring at the sky now. "I was one of the best medical ninja of the Sand Village. It's so intricate, the poison, that even I have to reference the mix ratios for the antidote—and I _created_ it myself. I doubt another medical ninja, except for maybe one, would be able to neutralize the poison in that girl's body." He chuckled. "And the odds of you finding Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade in time certainly aren't . . . in . . . your . . . favor. . . ."

Sasori's puppet body became completely motionless as all life left his eyes.

Sora glared at him. "I don't care how complicated it is . . . we've still got to try." With that said, he lifted his gaze to the sky. Dark figures, an outline of what appeared to be Carpet with three occupants and Genie, were flying across the sky. He stood and called for their attention.

**

* * *

**

With Aladdin, Sora, Donald, and Goofy aboard Carpet and Hikari being carried by Genie, the group returned to Agrabah just in time to see the aftermath of the aerial match between Deidara and Gaara. Grains of sand drizzled from the defeated jinchuuriki's form as he limply hovered over the center of the city.

Deidara was on the back of his clay bird, still, but he definitely had sustained damage. Dirt and bruising were apparent on all visible areas of his skin and there was no sleeve where his arm had been crushed and torn off by Gaara's sand.

As the group approached, the blonde was directing the bird toward his target. They witnessed as the bird wrapped its tail firmly around him and began to carry him away. A dark corridor opened in the sky a small distance away. Realizing he was to make an escape, Aladdin urged Carpet to fly quicker.

The pyrotechnic glanced at them over his shoulder, acknowledging Sora and Hikari. He also recognized the effects of his partner's poison in the latter. _So, they were able to defeat him. . . . Rest in peace, my man. Hmm._ The bird flapped its wings and carried them through the dark corridor. It closed behind them.

With the Akatsuki ninja and jinchuuriki's disappearance, the group redirected to Aladdin's house on the second floor of a shoddy building. Hikari was laid on a clear space next to a giant hole in the wall providing a great view of the palace. A dejected Aladdin stared out the window at the stars . . . or, as he had just learned, other worlds.

"So, Jasmine and Gaara are no longer in Agrabah?"

Sora nodded. "The Heartless probably took her while you guys were distracted by Jafar wishing he was a genie, or when he was being trapped in the lamp. And you saw Gaara get taken."

Aladdin turned away from the window. "Sora, let's go find them."

The boy lowered his head. "Sorry. I can't take you with me."

"Why-why not?"

Goofy guiltily remarked, "I sure wish we could. . . ."

"But we can't," added Donald. "If we took him to another world, that would be. . . ."

"Muh. . . . Mudd—"

"Meddling!"

The brunette raised his head and looked at him. "Aladdin, we'll find them. I promise." He looked at Hikari. "But first, we've gotta take care of Hiki. The puppet guy said we only have three days. . . ."

After a moment of silence, Genie piped up. "Uh, Earth to Al! Hello? You still have one wish left. Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you, Gaara too."

Aladdin absorbed the words as he stared at the floor with partly closed eyes. He mulled over his decision. "I. . . ." He raised his head. "I wish . . . for your freedom, Genie!"

Genie stretched, ready to cast his magic and search for their lost friends, when he realized what had truly been uttered and dropped his jaw. "Al!" Sparkles of pink and a tornado of transformation magic appeared around his smoky lower body and his wrists. The golden cuffs disappeared and the smoky tail became two legs covered by blue bedlah pants.

"A deal's a deal, Genie. Now you can go wherever you want. You're your own master." Sheepishly, he added, "But if you can, it'd be great if you'd go along with them and help find Jasmine and Gaara."

"Hmm. . . ." He about-faced and crossed his arms. "Sorry, Al. I'm done taking orders from others. . . . But . . . a favor; now that's entirely different." He turned over his shoulder and grinned. "I guess I could give that a try." Happily, he moved by Aladdin and clapped an arm around his shoulder. "After all, we're pals, right, Al?"

"Genie. . . ."

"Just leave it to me!"

Blushing a smidgen, Aladdin combed through his bang and smiled. "Hehe!"

Behind them, Hikari gasped sharply and cringed. Nearing a fetal position, she curled up even more, whimpering. Pain kept her in too far a delusion to let her hear anything that was being said.

Genie turned his attention to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "If you guys know where to take her for help, I can bippity-boppity-boo you there in no time."

The trio's eyes lit up. "Really? Thanks so much!" Sora responded. "But we've gotta go by the Cave of Wonders, first. . . . That's where our . . . vessel, is." He summoned the Keyblade in a flash of light and regarded the teeth. _And while we're there. . . . They Keyblade won't stop bugging me about the Keyhole. . . ._

**

* * *

**

With Genie and Aladdin's help, the trio returned to their Gummi. Hikari was laid down in her bed to rest with Jiminy to watch over her. She continued to lay in a position similar to fetal, completely disconnected from the world around her.

Sora's brow furrowed as he lingered for a moment.

Sitting in the open space by her stomach, Jiminy reassured him. "Don't worry, Sora. She'll be okay. Well get her help."

"Yeah . . . I know." He hoped that, akin to the other times when she had been the damsel in distress, luck would be on her side. _Hang in there, Hiki. We'll be in Traverse Town soon._ Before he ran back to the cockpit area, he removed Brave Warrior from his wrist and slipped it onto hers. She appeared to flinch when it made contact.

"Mm . . . mm. . . ." Hikari saw through partially opened eyes as a fuzzy mass of red walked away. There was also yellow, which called to her feverish mind that boy with silver hair. Movement in her chest was eclipsed by all of the other haywire senses and ailments in her body. Her lip curled the slightest as the image of the boy remained in her mind, and she uttered a single name in a breathy whisper: "Ri . . . ku. . . ."

**

* * *

**

Said silver-haired teen lied atop green sheets in an unlit room. A lack of windows also attributed to the absence of ambiance that left everything in a shadow; most of what was visible was an outline. He was alone in the dark, staring at the ceiling with blank eyes.

Abruptly, Riku shot up into a sitting position and placed a hand over his chest, where warmth had stirred inside. He stared forward curiously. ". . . Hiki?" His cyan eyes—seeming to be greener than blue now—softened as his hand closed. His other arm supported his weight. "Heheh . . . I knew it. This path I'm on . . . it's the right one, isn't it?" he said quietly with a tender smile.

Footsteps interrupted his thoughts and brought to his attention the door. When it opened, the amount of light in the room was hardly added to; the hallway was only lit dimly. It was not difficult, however, to discern who it was that stood in the doorway.

Riku lowered his hand and wore a solemn scowl. "Maleficent."

The witch's scarlet lips curled on her pale, chartreuse visage. "It's pitch black in there," she observed. "Why don't you turn on a light?"

He averted his eyes. "I'm more comfortable in the dark."

A flash of white appeared between the scarlet cusps of her face. Her eyes were naturally sinister. "Very well. Do as you please." Her robes shuffled as she approached him. "It is your room, after all."

When she came to the side of his bed, she reached with the hand not holding her scepter to hold his chin up with her crimson-painted nails. "Are you ready to become a member of our team?"

". . . ." Coolly Riku smacked her hand away. "I have no idea what you guys are up to. But I guess I'll just have to find out."

**End of Chapter Nineteen**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty: Lady Luck

He followed Sakura's movement as she lowered her ear over Hikari's heart and listened. Her eyes narrowed. Apparently puzzled, she straightened and looked at Hikari's chest; it rose and fell with her staggering breaths. She took two fingers of her right hand and rested them against her neck, checking for a pulse. Her eyes went to the clock.

* * *

Hola! Okay, gotta make this quick-I know I said I might start Aki's Author Corner, but not this chapter because I don't have the time to come up with an idea for it XP I will apologize in advance for any spelling errors to come, as I am rushing through this part.

So, how'd it turn out? I'm pretty proud of myself in regard to the fight, at least the parts with actual combat :) Maybe I'll experiment with more crossover battles in the future. I can't remember if in this chapter I stated that the passage Aladdin and the gang took led to the Cave of Wonders, but it did; the passage was actually present in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, but I included it here because it was convenient :) Yay convenience!

I think my favorite part of this chapter is the end ^^ Yes, the Riku part was based off of the manga a little, but I've had the idea of Hiki whispering his name and his chest stirring for a long time and I'm glad I finally got to include it! And don't mind my bragging, but I think it's written well XD As for the beginning... I like that, too, but that wasn't planned quite as long... at all... and may be cheesy. Thoughts?

By the way, I'll say it now. Hiki saying Riku's name-not an error. Many people thought in chapter six that him saying hers was... it wasn't.

I'll admit, I'm a little sad I couldn't extend Gaara's fight scene a little. Buuuut to make it epic it would have to be long... and I wanted Agrabah to be done this chapter. Sorry!

Ummmmmmmmm I think that's it! **Thanks for reading, please leave a review! God bless!**


	20. Lady Luck

So, beginning with this chapter, I'm making a small change for the way I write. Dreams and memories will be written in first person, like they're narrating it-at times, it may even be thought narrating a little. Similar to how manga is narrated at times. It won't be hard to catch on, just thought I'd let y'all know beforehand :)

* * *

Recappy From the Last Chappy: A flash of white appeared between the scarlet cusps of her face. Her eyes were naturally sinister. "Very well. Do as you please." Her robes shuffled as she approached him. "It is your room, after all."

When she came to the side of his bed, she reached with the hand not holding her scepter to hold his chin up with her crimson-painted nails. "Are you ready to become a member of our team?"

". . . ." Coolly Riku smacked her hand away. "I have no idea what you guys are up to. But I guess I'll just have to find out."

**Chapter Twenty: Lady Luck**

_I remember Squall very well. We were close. You . . . could've said it was like we were the same person._

_But now, I will only speak of him in the past tense._

_He was in the later years of adolescence and stood stricken with open-mouthed awe on a ledge overlooking the epicenter of destruction to a world once peaceful. Some sort of stygian entity was parasitically feeding off of our home, snuffing out the light and replacing it with darkness._

_Helplessly he watched as strange creatures ran rampant. Most of them had black faces and luminous yellow orbs for eyes. The boy's own blues widened as he watched those same creatures attack people without mercy. They would appear to reach inside a person's chest, call on some dark power, and tear out a shining, pink, heart-shaped thing that rose toward the sky. Then, the person's body would disappear._

_Wind from the storm disturbed his brunette locks, causing them to flit across the bridge of his nose. The sword he held in his hand had a hilt resembling a gun that hung at his side. His grip on the Gunblade tightened as he clenched his teeth. There were so many of those things__—__that we know as Heartless now__—__yet his friends were nowhere in sight._

_Thunder boomed overhead to be followed by a heavy precipitation that soaked him to the bone within seconds._

_A young woman around his age ran up the mountainous, uneven incline; her boots slipped a few times on the rain-slicked rock. She was breathing heavily. In the lack of light, her long, midnight blue locks appeared to be black as they stuck to spaghetti strap-clad shoulders, dampened._

_Silver eyes caught sight of the boy as she was ignored by the creatures she passed. She gathered her breath and called his name, but it was drowned out by a crash of thunder. Louder, she called again. "Squall!"_

_He turned as she reached the peak and ran toward him; he stepped forward to meet her halfway. A deeply felt, affectionate concern shined in his eyes. "Calantha. . . ."_

_Her arms wrapped around him tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder. She was shivering, perhaps because she was cold or she was shaking with silent sobs—he could not tell. Squall held Calantha as she held him: firmly, as they desperately grasped for a sense of something real in such an incredulous situation, though he used only the arm free of his weapon._

_He rested his cheek in the crook of her neck as he held her closer, gently brushing his lips against her bare skin unintentionally. In the situation at hand, he could not feel embarrassed by the intimacy of the contact. The apprehension he felt in his gut, though it had slightly subsided with her presence, was far too great. Silently he gazed at the space behind her with hard, narrowed eyes._

_Calantha squeezed him tighter as well; her chest rose and fell against him as she caught her breath. She was still gasping when she spoke in a cracked voice. "I . . . I couldn't find—anyone! Cloud . . . Yuffie . . . Aerith—they're all gone . . . !" Her words were nearly muffled in his chest, but he understood her well enough._

"_Squall . . . I'm so glad you're alright!" She loosened her hold on him, reluctantly releasing him. He allowed her to slide out of his embrace, did not lower his arm until her waist slid out completely. "Do you know what's going on?"_

_He shook his head and regarded the ledge he had been standing on moments ago. "Those creatures are everywhere. They look like they're centering around Ansem the Wise's castle."_

_She looked at him quizzically, almost disbelieving, and followed the line of his gaze. Slowly, her gaze still on him, she treaded toward the edge and looked over. Her gasp was heard. Ansem the Wise, the greatly respected leader of their domicile, their paradise; it made the event even more unbelievable._

_Venomously, she noted, "It's got to be that witch, Maleficent. She probably did this."_

_The brunette shook his head. "I don't know. But Ansem's castle—that's where it looks like they're coming from."_

_Closing her mouth in a grim line, Calantha glanced at the calamity below. Unease was evident in those silver eyes as she looked at him again, only to widen as her gaze passed him. An expression of fear crossed her face as she forgot where she was and took a step back, nearly missing the very edge. Pointing, she screamed, "Squall! Behind you!"_

_Gigantic, spherical versions of the monsters had risen behind him, bearing frightful visages and three willowy limbs resembling the branches of trees in spooky forests. Squall clenched his jaw and raised his Gunblade against the monsters, striking the one closest. It dissolved into separate dark particles and something pink, shaped like a heart, rose from it into the sky, like the others._

_He quickly vanquished its allies, slicing first horizontally and then cutting across diagonally to catch the final two. He spent a moment scanning for more when he turned, and the mountain he and Calantha stood on shook violently._

_Out of the corner of his eye he saw Calantha standing precariously on the edge with a single foot and wildly swinging her arms about in order to keep balance. His heart fell into his gut as he ran to close the gap between them, reaching out his hand._

_She brought her other foot down and hunched forward, steadying herself. Remaining bent forward, she gave him a double thumbs-up, signaling she was fine, and he stopped. They exchanged brief, relieved smiles before the mountain was struck with massive green fire—Maleficent's signature magic—and aggressively shook once more. Moments later, the mountain collapsed beneath them._

_The last thing Squall remembered of that night nine years ago—if it had even been night—was falling. He fell with the rain, turning over so he was headfirst. Rock descended with him toward the awaiting black mass, and his stomach lurched. His eyes were on Calantha some feet below him and reaching out her hand. He reached for her, as well, but they were too far apart._

_Squall shifted, positioning himself to limit air resistance and fall at a quicker rate. The gap betwixt them closed, and their fingertips were nearly brushing against one another. Hastily he stretched and swung his hand to clasp hers, but missed._

"_**SQUALL!"**_

_Her terrorized, tear-filled eyes; the darkness as it enveloped her figure; his name from her lips; a crash of thunder overhead._

_It's the last memory I have before my world fell apart._

_Never again. Given the chance, I won't fail. That day, with the fall of that world and the loss of Calantha, Squall died and I, Leon, was born. Squall couldn't save them. Leon won't be the same._

**

* * *

**

Leon took several practice swings at an invisible adversary with his Gunblade. A small lantern on the cobblestone floor illuminated the cavern enough for the portions covered in water to reflect the walls and staircase to an exit for it. The modest light also made his complexion almost gleam with perspiration.

The floor he stood on was at a higher depth than in other portions and actually rose above the water. The rest of the floor would make the pool as deep as his knee. One would have to walk through the shallow depths if they exploited the other, more used entrance.

Panting moderately, the man stopped and pulled up from his shoulder the end of a white towel that had replaced his little black jacket. The jacket was folded next to the lantern.

He switched the hand holding his Gunblade and stared at the empty palm of his right hand with stony, sorrowful eyes. The flickering nature of the fire in the lantern made the shadows dance across his face, and the shadow of his body move against the floor. He curled his fingers so they turned into a fist.

". . . ."

A splash and a yelp were heard from the entrance, and a small frame was shown shortly after to rise from the small depths. Water dripped from her body. "Ahhh! Now I'm all wet!" She bounced her way through the rest of the water toward him, kicking up water in her wake. As she came closer, the light from the lanterns unmasked her identity and revealed her to be Yuffie.

She was not only wet, she was _soaked._ Her short black hair clung to the shape of her head over the white band she tied around it and both her green, sleeveless turtleneck jumper and tan shorts were darker with dampness. Water seemed to have glanced off the protective gauntlet on her left arm, the small gauntlet on her right wrist, and the additional armor on her left leg.

"Squall!" She stopped a few feet away from him, leaving her in a lower depth; the water came up to her shin.

"_Leon,"_ he reminded her. For some reason, she was the only one that "forgot" to use his new name.

She frowned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever! We've got bigger problems to deal with than your dissociative complexes." Her hands were on her hips. "Sora and everyone are back—but Hikari's hurt. Poison, they say. She's already been taken to the new infirmary, but we never got a staff together, so we _really_ need help. It's an unknown venom."

His brows knit. "Was she poisoned by a Heartless?"

She shook her head. "No, a ninja from Sakura and Hikari's world. Didn't get much info." Impatiently, she waved her hands in the direction of the cavern's entrance. "Come ooon, there's a time limit to this poison!"

"Alright." He picked up his jacket and threw it back on; he too blew out the light in the lantern. He followed Yuffie's bouncing figure outside the cavern.

**

* * *

**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched from near the entrance of Traverse Town's new infirmary as Cid laid Hikari down onto one of the beds. The room was moderately spacious for being the second floor of Sakura's Item Shop, containing a few beds, boxes of medical supplies, a pantry, a counter with a sink and two wall cabinets above, and a small cart that could be rolled bedside.

Sakura tied back her rosette locks and approached the side of the bed. She was allowed space as she pulled out a small flashlight and shifted Hikari so she was flatly on her back. Parting the lids of the dark-haired kunoichi's eye, she shined the light and observed the reaction of the pupil, among other things.

The brunette boy swallowed and watched with a furrowed brow as the examination proceeded. This was not the first time he had seen her on infirmary sheets, and not the first time he had seen her in pain. It was another moment in which she was the "damsel in distress."

However, she had never seemed so closed off from the world before, and she had sustained consciousness. Lady Luck had intervened sooner in prior occurrences. _She told me Lady Luck could diss me . . . is that what's happening to her now?_

He followed Sakura's movement as she lowered her ear over Hikari's heart and listened. Her eyes narrowed. Apparently puzzled, she straightened and looked at Hikari's chest; it rose and fell with her staggering breaths. She took two fingers of her right hand and rested them against her neck, checking for a pulse. Her eyes went to the clock.

". . . ." Once more, she lowered her ear to her patient's heart. One could see the strain on her face as she tried to hear. Then, after a few moments, she reacted a little and straightened. _Her heartbeat's very faint, it almost seems like it doesn't exist. . . ._

"The poison used on her was refined from heavy metals. It's a type that gets into muscles and destroys cells. Her heart is being destroyed as we speak, and from what I was hearing, it's already been weakened significantly."

Despite the differences the dark-haired kunoichi and the duck had, Donald displayed valid concern. "What do you mean?"

Somberly, the medical ninja answered, "Her heart could stop functioning any time now. Even if I prepare an antidote, it may not stop the damage in time. . . ."

Sora's eyes widened; he tensed. "N-no way! The puppet guy said she had three days—it's been only a few hours!" Frantically his eyes darted between both kunoichi. "We've gotta be able to do _something!_"

She gazed at him with eyes that expressed condolences, but thought it over. Then, she took on a more determined expression, restoring some glimmer of hope in the others. She looked at Aerith. "Please gather the items I tell you right away." Her gaze shifted to Cid. "Get them out of here."

Apologetically, she looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "This is going to take awhile, and might be hard for you to watch. Please wait outside. There is a way to save her, but it'll take drastic measures." Once more she looked at Cid after giving a quick smile. "I'll need you to come back, though, please. She'll need to be held down. This operation is also delicate."

"Man, that's heavy. You sure know how to take charge, though, little missy," replied Cid as he rubbed his hand through the back of his short-cropped hair. He turned around and directed the trio outside. "Come on, pups. You heard the young lady. Git out, the three a' ya."

Sora stepped backward to the doorway as the trio was gently ushered out. Donald and Goofy went down a few stairs before they stopped and waited for the brunette, who remained at the head of the stairs and regarded the space before him with a downcast expression. Cid stepped outside with them for the moment.

A tense stillness filled the small stairway. The Keybearer's head was down thus his hair shadowed and masked his eyes. His teeth were apparently grit, as were his hands clenched to fists. He was unmistakably upset, which concerned his companions; they exchanged gazes. The duck began, "Sora. . . ."

"He lied."

Goofy cocked a brow. "Huh?"

"The puppet guy—Sasori, of the Red Sands. He lied. You heard Sakura, she's practically a goner. . . . But he said she had up to three days!" Rage tightened the muscles of his arms, and the trepidation restrained them. "So why? I already lost . . . Riku and Kairi. . . ."

His companions exchanged gazes once again before regarding him. This time, Goofy began. "But Sora. . . ."

Donald continued. "She didn't say Hiki was a goner, she said there's a way to save her. She's weak, but she hasn't given up. _You_ shouldn't, either! You need to believe, and think positive, no matter what. We'll find your friends, too, just like we'll find the King!"

Sora turned his head a little and loosened his hands. "I guess you're right . . . Sakura's a medical ninja, she knows what she's doing . . . maybe she's even as good as that 'Tsunade' person he mentioned. We can . . . count on her."

"Besides," Goofy "a-hyuck'd," "didn't Hiki tell ya to smile double for her? I think now more 'an ever you should be smilin' for her." As if to prove his point, he grinned. "Right?"

The boy's expression softened, and he visibly reacted. Reflexively, his lip curled a little as he raised a hand and disturbed the hair on the back of his head. "She did say that, didn't she? The day we all met. . . ." He lifted his chin and plastered on a smile with that memory in mind. "Alright, I'll smile. And soon . . . ," he turned his head, ". . . she'll smile herself."

Cid smirked and scratched his closely cropped beard. _Gotta get a kick outta how naïve this kid is._ "Hey, and if you're lookin' to keep busy, I've got an errand I was gonna run, but—," while he reached into his navy blue coat, he glanced back into the room, "—well . . . looks like I'm going to be tied up for awhile."

Half-turning so the old man was in view, Sora accepted the small book. Curiously he regarded it, noticing the lock. With a lightly teasing tone, he queried, "What is it? A _love_ diary?"

"No! Just a book." _Geez, he bounces back pretty quick too._ "It's real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was." He regarded the book. Perhaps it did not look as it should have, but it was close to new, probably with a new cover. The off-white face was bordered by a tangerine orange that also colored the spine. "But overall, I did a decent job of puttin' it back together. Anyway, you mind deliverin' it for me? It's the old house passed Third District. Look or a big fire sign."

Sora nodded. "Sure thing, old man. We'll be back." While he turned around and began to follow Donald and Goofy downstairs, Leon and Yuffie passed them on their way up. They acknowledged each other.

At the foot of the stairs, the boy lingered and glanced back up. He watched the adults enter the infirmary. The smile he had manifested remained in place, full of optimism . . . but there was a shadow in his blue eyes of fear. The hand holding the book fell to his side and he exited to the shop.

Inside the infirmary, Aerith set a pot containing a clear, chartreuse liquid onto the top of the cart while Sakura put an extra on the lower basket. Other batches rested on the counter along with vials of solutions that had created the concoction—mostly potions and elixirs. The medical ninja rolled the cart to the side of the bed.

Yuffie went into one of the cupboards under the counter, grabbed a small towel, and wiped off the rest of the water that had yet lingered on her skin. Then, she started to dry her hair some. "So! How bad is she, doc?"

"Her heart's deteriorating on a cellular level, so pretty dire. I'd like to start the operation immediately," she responded. The bed was pulled away from the wall a little so Yuffie could slide in between. Leon and Cid flanked the other sides while Aerith stood behind Sakura. The latter unzipped Hikari's jacket and moved the flaps aside, leaving only her bra to cover her chest.

The pink-haired kunoichi reacted to the site of a marking on her patient's chest: three crosses pointing toward a single, invisible focal point. Her eyes were wide, and she stared. In her mind's eye, she saw a similar bruise on the neck of Sasuke Uchiha, only in place of the crosses there were kotodama (or commas.) _That mark is just like Sasuke's . . . why does she have it, too? Does she know . . . Orochimaru?_

"Yo, space cadet!" Cid called, interrupting her contemplation. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. "No, it's nothing.

"Alright. Please hold her down. Despite how delirious she is, or maybe in part because of it, there's a high chance she'll fight back," she requested while brushing her fingertips on the surface of the solution. Yuffie braced Hikari's shoulders. Cid held down her left arm and thigh, and Leon held her shins.

Wearing a calm expression, the medical ninja raised her hand, picking up the solution in the form of a bubble the size of a playground ball. She braced her other arm against that of the patient's and her side. The bubble was poised over her ribs. "I'm starting." She eased the bubble into her body.

"_AAAAAAARGH!"_ Hikari bucked and writhed against them, more vocal than she ever seemed to be and squirming more than was desirable. She almost freed herself, for they had not been expecting quite as much struggling in light of her condition; however, they successfully kept her pinned and the operation proceeded.

There was a hint of a smile on the medical nin's face. She recalled how the last time Hikari had been in Traverse Town, she had called her weak, a hindrance. Her exact words were: "You're a hindrance who finds herself helpless while everyone else pulls through, forestalling more than aiding. In a nutshell . . . you're weak." Since Sakura had injuries in the process of mending at that time, she had not been able to give her the physical beating she had oh-so wished.

On some level, she felt a sort of glee that only her inner self expressed. **Cha! Who's the hindrance now!** The irony was rather rewarding, and the pain it brought her was an added bonus. As a medical ninja, and a healer at heart, however, she did not of course wish for her death.

Her hatred was not that deep. It was in fact more of a dislike. One did not kill another due to simple dislike.

She continued the operation like she was any other patient rather successfully. Her smile disappeared as a more concentrated, resolute expression overtook. _Insert chakra into the body. Draw the poison from the cells. Absorb it into the ball . . . and pull it out!_

The ball was pulled out of Hikari's body, relieving her of some of the agony fleetingly; her chest was heaving with deep, staggered breaths. Everyone looked at the purple liquid suspended within the sphere of solution. At the same time, they regarded the medical ninja in awe.

"Wow, that's the poison?" Yuffie inquired.

"Yes. And there's still more." Sakura dumped the ball back into the pot. While she reached into the next pot in order to make a new ball, Aerith took the sullied solution and set it out of the way. It was soon replaced. "Continuing operation."

**

* * *

**

Passed the door with the fire sign in Third District, the trio arrived in a large cavern. The light was so dim, one could hardly see the end of the space. Something was mystic about it. The floor was covered entirely by a thick layer of water, deep enough that one would have to swim across.

In the center of the cavern was a small island. There appeared to be a hut or a small, circular house with a roof shaped like a large, pink wizard's cap. Five slabs of land managed to glide across the surface of the water. Magic? Possibly. Currents seemed to be unlikely as the slabs alternated their direction and swished back and forth.

It was not only mystic, it was eerie. The wind entering from whichever invisible crevice also yielded light seemed to bring whispers and wails. The three of them stuck close together as they jumped from slab to slab. From the last of them, they landed on the island.

Sora walked up to the door and tried the handle; behind him, he heard Goofy inquire about whether or not they should knock. "It won't budge. I don't see a keyhole. . . ."

The trio searched the outside of the house to find an alternative entrance, and soon found an opening that had been concealed by a burgundy cloth. Sora pulled the cloth aside and allowed himself in; Goofy and Donald followed suit.

The inside of the mystical house consisted of one empty room. Scarce light occupied the area, hinting at long-time vacancy. The brunette stepped further into the space. He thought of a similar place back home wedged into the base of a tree. . . .

"I see you got your clothes back. Haha, leaves didn't suit you."

_Huh?_ The sudden voice was female, so he could rule out both Donald and Goofy as the speakers. Since he saw no one else in front of him, he turned in search of the speaker, and found that his eyes landed on a familiar face. An _important_ familiar face. "K-kairi?" he whispered under his breath.

Her soft pink lips formed a nostalgic smile. She dawdled through the empty space with her arms behind her while she looked around. "There's something about this musty place. . . . It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to draw on the walls." Over her shoulder, she glanced back at him. "Remember?"

The boy stared at her with an open mouth and disbelieving eyes. Tentatively, he reached toward her. "Kairi?"

Goofy interrupted them. "Sora?"

He turned his head and met their stares. For some reason, they were puzzled; they seemed to be questioning him. He wondered why. Did they not see Kairi behind him? The look they gave him was more inquisitive and less inquiring—confused, even. He turned his head to look at Kairi and divert their attention to her, but she was gone.

_W-what?_ Sora's jaw dropped. _Just like in the jungle. . . . Did I imagine her this time, too? Maybe I'm. . . ._

A lanky old man entered the house with a pink bag in hand, drawing the trio's attention. Pleasantly surprised, he remarked, "Well, well. You've arrived sooner than I expected." His paper-white mustache merged with his beard, which nearly reached the floor. A light blue robe, matching a pointed hat in color, covered most of his frame. He regarded them through small, round-framed spectacles.

The Keybearer raised a brow. One would expect to be alarmed at the presence of strangers in their home. "Wha . . . you knew we were coming?"

"Of course."

"Are you . . . a Heartless?"

Donald chimed in. "He doesn't look like one. . . ."

The elderly man shook his head. "Oh, my. No. My name is Merlin. I am not a Heartless, as you can see I am a sorcerer. I spend much of my time traveling." He smiled. "It's good to be home." Walking toward the center of the room, he added, "Your king has requested my help."

"King Mickey?" Goofy questioned.

"Yes, indeed," the sorcerer confirmed. "Donald, Goofy." He regarded the Keybearer. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Sora."

"Ah. So, you've found the Key. Hmm, isn't there a girl—er, 'Hikari'—who's supposed to be with you?"

Sora kept a straight face. "She's being treated for poison . . . but she'll be with us again soon." He smiled confidently and nodded.

"Ah, I see. Oh, my. . . . Now, just a moment." Merlin placed his bag in the center of the room and stepped back. When he raised his arms, the bag opened, "—Presto!—," and he began to hop from one foot to the other whilst simultaneously waving his arms.

Sora raised a brow at the action, as the dance made him appear very much like a madman, but then he noticed the wand in hand. The bag opened and multiple, shrunken items emerged. One by one, books, dishes, teacups and teapots, writing instruments, and furniture trailed through the opening and circled around them, gradually expanding in size. Suddenly, the floor beneath he and Merlin rose a few feet; a circular island with stairs curving around one side. Blinding light filled the room.

Books, books, books! When the light faded and the colorful spots ceased to dot their eyes, books were noticed to be everywhere. Hills of them were mounted in stacks at the head and foot of a bed, too were they lining the walls when not broken up by furniture. Many circled the perimeter of the island on which they stood. He was next to a red, high-backed chair at a round table covered with a white table cloth. Teacups were in front of that and three other, less stylish chairs, and a teapot suspended above each when pouring tea.

Merlin lowered his arms. "There, now. Ahem. Please, have a seat." The lighting was now much more abundant in the room with the presence of a few standing torches, and ensured that one did not stumble over any books hidden in the shadows as they climbed up to the chairs. They helped themselves to the tea set before them.

"Your king has asked that I train you in the art of magic. Especially Sora," the elderly wizard began. A small pitcher of cream was pouring into the cup in his hand. "You're still using the power of the Keyblade instinctively, and your knowledge of magic is very basic. You must learn to control this power."

Donald lifted his teacup and was ready to drink, but injected instead. "But . . . do you know where the King is?" Next to him, Goofy forked a strawberry from one of the small cakes before him.

"Well, now, let me see. . . . That's a good question," he murmured. Intently he stared at his cup as he swished its contents, gently mixing them. "But one thing is for certain—your king is trying to bring peace back to all of the worlds." He regarded the brunette. "You Sora, are a very important component of realizing that goal."

Blushing, the boy averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head. He smiled a shy, embarrassed smile and lowered his gaze to his lap, where he saw the book. Hiding his dubious thoughts, he handed the book over across the table. "Oh, Cid wanted us to deliver this."

Merlin accepted it. "Oh, that book. . . . So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you." He set down his cup and opened the book. "Such a curious book. Somehow it simply found its way into my bag one day. Although it appears there are a few missing pages . . . such a shame for a book to be incomplete. Books have worlds of their own, you know. Well, my best regards to Cid for repairing it for me."

_A world . . . of its own?_ Tentatively, Sora asked, "Um . . . Merlin, can I check it out? The world inside the book. . . ."

"Hmmm . . . well, I don't see the harm in it, I suppose." He handed the book back. "Although I'm afraid you won't get very far."

"Okay." The boy took the book and opened to the middle page. He could see the frays in the spine where the torn pages should have been. Curiously he gazed at the pictures and letters. _What did he mean by a world in the__—_"Whoa!"

Suddenly Sora was—quite literally—pulled inside the book. His body left the chair, only to be replaced by the book itself as it settled.

**

* * *

**

Inside the infirmary, Hikari's pained gasps, groans, and moans continued. They had depleted greatly in volume, almost eclipsed by her heavy, staggered breaths. Her chest was heaving, more than likely because of pain brought on by the procedure. When Sakura pulled out the bubble, the pain appeared to subside some. While she breathed deeply still, she had less difficulty in doing so, and instead of writhing, she simply trembled.

Sakura took the bubble and dumped it back into its container. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her arm against her wide forehead and exhaled liberation. "I've removed most of the poison. Her life is no longer in danger." She was met with smiles or sighs of relief. "We can't relax just yet. There are still trace amounts of poison left in her system. We need to make an antidote."

Aerith finger-combed her bangs, which had begun sticking to her face. "I have medical herbs in my garden. Use as many as you need. I can help you."

"Good. Prepare an IV drip and save some of that poison, I'll need it later." The others moved to do as requested while she undid her ponytail and removed her headband. Feeling much of it try to stick to her face and heat gathered in the underside, she shook it out. It had been awhile—years, in fact—since she had such an operation required of her. She admitted that it was tiring and reassuring.

Inner Sakura was extremely excited, pumping her fists in a victorious, rambunctious fashion. **Cha! Not as weak as you thought, huh? This medical kunoichi's still got it!** She smiled on the outside, thinking of the woman who had taught her: Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade. _I've done milady proud._

An IV was inserted into Hikari's arm and a sheet was pulled up to cover most of her body; her arms had been lifted so they would lie on top. Her tremors continued, but the pain appeared to be less than it had been. She no longer gasped, simply staggering her breath, and her moans were quieter, shorter, and less frequent.

She was, however, still closed off from this world.

**

* * *

**

_The sun was high over a seemingly endless, sparkling sea and warmed my face. The sky was a cloudless blue, and kissed the clear waters reflecting it on the horizon. I stood on a wooden pier that extended into the shallow end and hopped onto the sand as the waves pulled back from the shore__—_

—"_So, has anyone else noticed just how __**HUGE**__ Sora's shoes are?" humorously remarked Tidus as he, Naruto, and me piled sand on the lower half of Sora while he snoozed on the beach. Naturally my brother's idea, we were trying to fashion a mermaid's tail. "His feet CAN'T be this big!"_

_I shrugged and continued sculpting around his right leg, providing more shape. "Maybe he has the extra space for storage. Not weapons, maybe. . . ."_

"_Candy!" he finished for me. He had sandy blonde hair and tanned hands were pulling up sand to cover our friend's shoes, although with some trouble because of the size. But Tidus was a little younger than us and a pretty hard bubble to burst__—__he was more inflated, like a balloon. At times, it was hard to keep his ego in check, but because of it he had a strong resolve. "Anyway, it looks like our mermaid's gonna have tumors."_

_Naruto laughed opposite of me and I giggled a little; Sora hardly stirred. My brother didn't even try to keep his voice down as he pointed out, "And he's a heavy sleeper, too! Hee hee, sucker!"_

"_Hey, don't test it!"_

_Sora began to stir some, and we quickly withdrew our hands. We watched in anticipation as his face twitched and he moaned. Slowly, his eyes started to open, and he groggily scanned around him. "Wha . . .?"_

_The three of us could hardly contain our laughter, which drove him to sit up, and completely lost it when he saw what we had done. "Hey!" With hardly any effort, he broke free of his sandy binds and grabbed his wooden sword. Tidus grabbed his stick and the three of us ran off with the brunette chasing us__—_

—_I stood with Wakka on a strip of land just before the shore, near where a large type of tree house had been formed around multiple trees and rock. A small pond was by us, and the Seaside Shack formed off wood._

_Wakka had orange hair styled in an exaggerated cowlick and a blue band around his head matching the sweatbands on his wrists. His baggy pants and muscle shirt were both colored golden yellow, and his skin was even tanner than Sora and Tidus's._

_He held in his hand a "blitzball"__—a white ball sporting multiple bumps and a few blue bands around the surface. "For blitzball, you play underwater, ya? So, you've got to be able to hold your breath for a looong time without tiring out."_

"_Underwater?" I inquired. "For how long?"_

"_Well, each round is five minutes, ya?"_

"_Oh. You made it sound like it would be longer, that's not so bad." I shrugged a shoulder._

"_No way, it's a long time! You try doing it; I'll time you," he challenged, pulling out a stopwatch. "Tidus and me, we can go about four and a half minutes."_

_I smirked a little. It was kind of amusing that he was serious enough to carry around a stopwatch. He started the watch; I inhaled and held my breath._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .__. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_After awhile, I started to struggle with comfortably keeping myself from breathing and began to fidget a little. My lungs started to feel like they were going to burst! Finally, when it started to get too uncomfortable, and I couldn't hold on anymore, I released my breath. "So__—__," I gasped, "__—__so . . . how long__—__was that?"_

_He smirked. "Two and a half minutes."_

"_Ah!"__—_

—"_Hikari! . . . Helloooo?" A voice sighed._

"_Hmm?" I was snapped from my thoughts by the voice, and discovered when I turned around that the speaker was a girl a little younger than me with an impossible hairstyle. Her golden brown hair was gathered into three sections (either side of her head and behind) and flipped naturally. Her bangs were cut straight over mirthful green eyes. She wore a dress version of yellow overalls with a big pocket on the chest, a blue beaded bracelet on her wrist, and yellow sandals on her feet. Looped around her arm was a jump rope._

"_Oh, Selphie," I said, and waited patiently for her to tie her boat to the edge of the pier. She ran down its length and hopped off the side like I had. "How long were you behind me like that?"_

"_I've been calling your name for like ten minutes, but you were ignoring me!" she pouted. When I blushed a little and apologized, she said in a more playful tone, "Oh, I get it. You were thinking about him again, weren't you?"_

_My eye averted and I casually remarked, "I could've been thinking about something else. . . ."_

_Unfortunately, when color bleeds into my pallid face, it sticks out like ink on white paper. "Nope! You were looking at the paopu fruit tree." She looked over with wistful eyes at the small island connected to the shore by a bridge. "You know about the legend. Two people share one, and their lives are intertwined. They'll be together, through forever and eternity!" She sighed dreamily, drifting to reverie. "It's __**so**__ romantic . . . I've gotta try it sometime!"  
_

"_You're right," I agreed calmly, regarding the try with her. It was bent oddly for a tree, turning sort of in an L-shape on the small island it was rooted in. The star-shape fruit was toward the top, bunched with green palm leaves. "It's a little girly, but . . . romantic."_

_Shaking my head with vigor, I added, "Oh, but that doesn't mean I want to try it or anything. . . ."_

_I could tell from the look on her face that she was calling my bluff on the inside, and she let her tone as she said, "Uh-huh, suuuuure," drip with sarcasm. I simply shook my head and gazed at the island again as we walked away._

_From the new vantage point, I could see Riku and Sora with their wooden swords, dueling yet again. I smiled softly._

**End of Chapter Twenty**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-one: Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream

The girl mentally berated herself. _Too late . . . he saw me. Well . . . he seems nice. . . ._ Hesitantly, she sidled into the open with her hands still resting on the tree and stared at him. Embarrassed by her rudeness, her cheeks were a little red.

Relief crossed his face. "Oh, good, you're really there," he said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "I've been seeing things a lot lately . . . I wondered if I imagined you. Hiya." He waved. "I'm Sora. What's your name?"

In a small voice, she replied, "My name is Hinata. Nice to meet you, Sora."

w00t w00t! Chapter twenty! *parties* Okay, so there area multiple reasons why this update ended up at the four-week mark again, inlcuding the starting up of senior. At the same time, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep happened to be released the day before school started, and I'vebeen taking my sweet time with it :D It may affect the crossover some, but not until like the Chain of Memories (Road to Dawn) or KHII (Delusion of Dusk) chapters, and that's IF I decide.

Another reason is the portion at the end XD I came up with it in the middle of writing the reserve chapter, chapter twenty-one, and kind of started writing them simultaneously... it went through roughly five or so drafts, and I actually ended up comepleting twenty-one before this one was technically finished XP The random addition has made it just about the longest I've posted, though! I considered posting both chapters, too, but I'm not very far into twenty-two and my sister has schoolwork, so I've got limited time.

Alright, so the beginning was something I'd had FOREVER, when I wanted to write a Leon one-shot, but that was about the only scene I had in my mind XP so, I decided to include it in WDTL instead. I know Squall has Rinoa in FFVIII, but... well, I don't hate her, but I'm not very fond of her either, for some reason XP It was kinda hard narrating it, too; I couldn't remember very well how Squall narrates in FFVIII XD So, I ended up taking my original draft and just the very beginning and the very end, as well as switching a few words that made them first-person... You guys can see why I wrote it as it is, right?

Oh, and as you may've realized, Yuffie and Cid's outfits were changed to their FFVII attire. Why? 'Cause Cid looks better that way and Yuffie's is awesome XD For pictures, you can see them in their Final Fantasy wikia articles (yes, it is "wikia" not "wiki")

Um... I can't think of anything else I want to address right now. What're your thoughts on my depiction of Sora? Writing his KH-self is tougher than KHII, for some reason. He's more shy in KH... Plus, KHII happens to pwn, so personally, I've played the sequel WAAAAAAAAAAAY more XD

Welp, I'ma leave it at that 'cause my wrist hurts, hehe! **Thanks for reading, please leave a review! God bless!**

(Edit: By the way, the comment about candy being what "Sora hides in his shoes" is not my idea... it's a reference to a comic strip of Kingdom HEarts that one of my friends has told me about a few times XP)


	21. Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream

Recappy From the Last Chappy: _"You're right," I agreed calmly, regarding the try with her. It was bent oddly for a tree, turning sort of in an L-shape on the small island it was rooted in. The star-shape fruit was toward the top, bunched with green palm leaves. "It's a little girly, but . . . romantic."_

_Shaking my head with vigor, I added, "Oh, but that doesn't mean I want to try it or anything. . . ."_

_I could tell from the look on her face that she was calling my bluff on the inside, and she let her tone as she said, "Uh-huh, suuuuure," drip with sarcasm. I simply shook my head and gazed at the island again as we walked away._

_From the new vantage point, I could see Riku and Sora with their wooden swords, dueling yet again. I smiled softly._

**Chapter Twenty-One: Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream**

_Where did everyone go? So suddenly, everyone seems like they've gone,_ thought the young kunoichi. She gazed at the woods with lavender-white eyes of a gentle shape. Under straight bangs and forelocks kissing the sides of her face, stimulated veins and arteries marking usage of the Hyuuga Clan's byakugan were evident.

The rest of her hair settled across her back and shoulders down to her waist. Her dress was lightweight in accommodation to the sunny weather, not too loose and not fitting too closely around her sizeable bust and hips. The skirt of the dress would flare a little if she spun and came barely over her knee. It was colored a light violet.

Around her neck rested a blue Konoha hitaiate; the color was matched closely by her hair and strappy sandals. For a ninja, she had a rather timid demeanor, and did not stride confidently in spite of her familiarity with the area.

"Um, Piglet? Eeyore . . . ? Tigger?" she called somewhat loudly. For her soft voice, it was comparable to a yell, but next to one who spoke normally, she had hardly raised her voice. Possibly due to this, or the absence of the names called, she received no response.

She was ready to consider the option that they had started a game of Hide-and-Seek without telling her, but even then she knew she would see them with her special sight—"Is that . . . Pooh Bear?" Trusting her judgment, she deactivated her byakugan and walked in that direction.

Outside the thicket was an empty meadow. She could see it through the last line of trees before she would enter it. Though most of it was vacant, within roughly ten feet of where she stood a hollowed log had been laid to rest. Sitting atop it was a tubby yellow bear wearing a red shirt. His body structure was closer to a stuffed teddy bear than its feral counterpart. _Pooh!_

Smiling, she began to enter the meadow but retreated behind a tree almost immediately and peered around. Not far from where the bear roosted, a boy with a lot of spiky hair and blue eyes had materialized abruptly out of thin air. He was around her age, perhaps a little younger, and appeared a little lost.

The boy was Sora.

Keeping her presence hidden, the girl watched as Sora approached the bear. The latter had his brow furrowed in concentration and his arms almost crossed. One of his stubby paws tapped his forehead as he stared at the ground. Repeatedly, he muttered, "Think, think. Think, think."

"Hi there," Sora greeted. "What's wrong?"

Though he faced her, she realized he was speaking to the bear. Nevertheless, she shrank back and watched the bear continue his movements and respond, "Nothing. Just thinking." By the high concentration of his expression, there was no doubt that he was troubled. "I was thinking of how to say goodbye to Pooh."

"Pooh?"

The bear reacted and lowered his arm. "Yes?"

"Wait a second." The brunette raised a brow and hopped onto the log beside him. "You're Pooh?"

"Yes, I'm Winnie the Pooh. Pooh for short." He stared at him with beady black eyes. "Have you come to say goodbye to Pooh, too?"

Sora cocked a brow. "Well, no. Why would I do that?" He shrugged. "We've only just met."

"Because everyone's gone away."

"What do you mean?"

Despondently, the bear recalled old times. "Well, we all lived here in the Hundred Acre Wood. And we'd take walks together, and play Pooh sticks . . . and every day, I'd eat some honey." Reminiscently he rubbed his tummy. "Just one smackeral would taste very good right now. But now, everybody's gone." He was noticeably morose. "All my friends, and my favorite honey tree too. Everyone must have gone away while I was napping, I think. . . .

"So, who knows? Maybe I shall end up going away somewhere, as well." Contemplating once more, he hopped down and tapped his forehead. "But I wonder: how do I say goodbye to myself? Think, think. Think, think." Both Sora and the girl regarded him with a mix of sympathy and empathy. "Oh, my tummy is getting rather rumbly."

Pulling herself out from behind the tree, the girl watched with Sora as the bear walked toward the other end of the meadow. _Oh, Pooh . . . so, everyone really is gone; just like Kiba, Naruto, Shino, Kurenai-sensei, and Hanabi. . . ._

Sora hopped down from the log and turned halfway around. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye (the girl as she hid behind a tree once more) and turned fully. He directly gazed at the tree. "Hello . . . ? Someone there?" He climbed over the log and approached. "Are you one of Pooh's friends?"

The girl mentally berated herself. _Too late . . . he saw me. Well . . . he seems nice. . . ._ Hesitantly, she sidled into the open with her hands still resting on the tree and stared at him. Embarrassed by her rudeness, her cheeks were a little red.

Relief crossed his face. "Oh, good, you're really there," he said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "I've been seeing things a lot lately . . . I wondered if I imagined you. Hiya." He waved. "I'm Sora. What's your name?"

In a small voice, she replied, "My name is Hinata. Nice to meet you, Sora."

"Good to meet you too, Hinata." He grinned. Then he noticed the hitaiate around her neck. "Wait a sec . . . you're from Hiki's world, aren't you? Um . . . The Land of Shuriken and Kunai, right? She has one of those headband-thingies too. How'd you end up in the book?"

She gave him a puzzled look. "Book? I don't know, I . . . I woke up here, after that night. . . ." She looked down. "I'm . . . we're . . . inside a book?"

"Oh, uh . . . yeah. . . ." Sheepishly he averted his gaze. _I guess she didn't know._ "So, you don't know how to get out of here, then, huh?" He looked at her again. "Do you want to find a way out with me? Since neither one of us belongs here."

"Um. . . ." Hinata continued to gaze at the floor, uncertain. The thought of being inside a book was rather silly, and this boy was a total stranger to her. However, he did know Hikari—her nickname, too—and had recognized the headband on sight. Pooh seemed to think she was already gone, too.

She raised her head and nodded. "Mm." Maybe, if she went with this boy, she would meet others.

**

* * *

**

_I felt wet sand under my feet and a gentle night breeze through my charcoal hair. My shoes were set aside in the sand, and my pants were rolled up to my knees. The waves rolled and brushed my toes, sending a chill through me, but quickly pulled back. The moon lit a surprised expression on my face._

"_Ahh! Ha ha, it's so cold!" I smiled while stepping back. Taking my shoes with me, I retreated from within the water's reach and looked back at my companion, who sat back on the beach and watched. "You didn't say that it would be this cold."_

_Riku laughed and teased, "I told you that it would be 'cool.'"_

_I walked toward him and plopped beside him with a light, awkward smile. "I didn't know you meant it like that," I admitted in a quiet murmur._

_He continued to smile._

_Conceding defeat, I shifted to seat myself comfortably. The night chill was minute, but I shared heat with him where our arms touched. I left my legs bent a little and watched my toes disturb the sand. In the process, I dug up a few shells and thought briefly of Kairi. She would probably like them._

_Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Riku's head was turned toward me but I pretended not to notice. It was hard keeping a straight face under his direct scrutiny, but I managed to keep the width of my smile from becoming too enlarged. I think I felt a little bit of red coming to my face, but I was definitely not a tomato._

_After awhile, I looked at him and realized he was not looking at my face or the hole I had dug with my feet. Under a concentrated brow, his eyes seemed to be directed at my chest, but by the expression of his mug I wasn't sure that he was actually seeing, like his thought process was on something else. Instead of a dirty, perverted excitement, there seemed to be wonder._

_I opened my mouth and was ready to question him when he spoke first and looked me in the eye. "Hiki."_

"_Hmm?"_

_He seemed to chuckle at my apprehension. I could see a minuscule hesitation in his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the same spot as prior. "That curse mark of yours . . . it's on your chest, isn't it?" He looked at my face once again; I knew it was redder. "I want to see it. Show it to me?"_

_I looked away from him, hardening my gaze as my hand went over my heart; where the bruise was marked. I wished the seal could suppress not only the darkness I felt when thinking back on those memories of receiving the mark, the feelings of rage, anger, and despair, but my remembrance of them as well._

_I stood and faced the sea, taking a few steps toward it. My other hand raised and brushed the tips of my fingers against the purple marks around my eye. Riku also stood and followed, coming up on my side. I lowered my hand from my eye and turned my face toward him._

_I couldn't meet his eyes. I wasn't really sure what I was more nervous about__—__showing him the mark of which I was profoundly mortified, or that in order to show it, I would have to completely unzip Sora's jacket and bare my flesh . . . maybe they were equal._

_My hand wrinkled the material of my shirt. "Yes." I turned my body toward him. I moved my hand from over the mark to the zipper at my collarbone. "I'll show it to you." Mentally, I added, "Because . . . it's you."_

_Challenging myself, I managed to regard his visage as I pulled down the zipper of the jacket. Allowing the right side to remain as is, I felt some warmth flush my cheeks as I pulled the left flap to the side. Had the jacket not been so small, I probably wouldn't have needed to unzip it all the way and have quite as much bare._

_Riku took a step closer to me; his eyes were on the marked bruise placed at just where the mound of my breast began. The light from the moon seemed to make the silver strands of his hair glow while at the same time darkening the shadows to a bluish hue. Similar could almost be said about his face, and the muscles of his arms. . . ._

_He continued approaching me until we were very close; I wouldn't be able to look down without seeing his feet and possibly shins. Not that I was looking down. I refrained from that and kept my head craned; although, in trying not to look down in shame or embarrassment, I may have had my chin a little higher than necessary._

_He didn't seem to notice. I couldn't read his eyes, so his thoughts were ambiguous to me, too. By this time, I was really feeling embarrassed__—__especially since he wasn't saying anything. Deciding I had been standing there like that long enough, I averted my eyes and started to pull the flap over. "That's enough__—"_

_His hand stopped mine, "__—__Hold on a minute__—__," and reversed the motion. When I looked up at his face, I saw that he still looked at the mark, but there was a light curl to his lip. He lowered his head toward my chest until his face was no longer visible in my line of sight, bringing out of me a __**very**__ dark red._

_Briefly, my countenance was replaced by that of the blonde wraith._

_My heart jumped to meet his lips as he brushed them over each cross in the mark, and my face felt warm enough to glow. The cold sea breeze contrasted greatly with the heat stirring through my arms, chest, and abdomen from the ripple of shock. Butterflies sprang to life in my stomach._

_I raised my hand and set them against his abs, holding him back but not pushing him away. "Riku, what are you . . . ?" I laughed a little nervously. "Stupid question. Uh__—"_

_When he raised his head and met my stare, I stopped. While there was a wicked amusement in his smile, there was also something soothing. His right hand was still on my shoulder, gently resting over my hand. He regarded me softly. Once more my appearance briefly took on that of the blonde wraith, but quickly returned to my own._

"_The crosses mark a bruise, right? From the curse? I was just kissing your 'boo-boo' better." A wicked gleam crossed his eyes, and he smiled. He took his other hand and brushed my bangs back from my forehead. As he leaned in and made our brows touch, I felt like I was going to overheat, but sustained an outside calm. "But it looks like I gave you a __**fever**__ instead. We should cool you off. . . ."_

_I narrowed my eyes in puzzlement one moment and astronomically widened them the next. Riku's arms wrapped around my waist and thighs as he lifted me off my feet and hoisted me onto his shoulder. I mildly protested when he started carrying me toward the water. "No! Stop! It's cold!" Yet, in his embrace, I couldn't keep a smile from crossing my face._

_I didn't have to see the grin on his face to know it was there. "I'm taking responsibility for making you hot! What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" he exclaimed. "And this is the __**only**__ way to cool you off."_

"_I am cool!" I insisted. From my position, I could see the waves roll passed us. He was repositioning his hands to grab me around the waist as he tread deeper in. My toes brushed the surface and I realized even now I couldn't struggle free from him without meeting my icy fate. I could feel Riku shiver, as he was already in above his knees._

_I stopped flailing and accepted defeat, instead closing my eyes. I braced myself—Riku laughed—as he flung me into the sea. Instinctively I curled up and plunged into the icy waters. It was even colder than I'd thought._

_I straightened as my feet searched for and found the ground. When I stood straight, the water came to just above my chest. I wasn't sure which part of me was colder—the water was of freezing temperatures, and I shivered all over, but the breeze above the surface gave me goose bumps._

_Riku was grinning wickedly in both a sexy and mischievous way as he splashed water at me. He was shivering too, and started laughing as I retaliated with water techniques of my own. My lips trembled into a wide grin. "Ahh!"_

_My face was turned away from the water being splashed at me but I started to approach him. A harmlessly impish smile worked its way onto my face as I peeked through the water. When I was close enough, I jumped through the splash and tackled him. "I'm taking you down with me this time!"_

_He yelped in surprise and caught me around my waist. Together, we fell beneath the surface, feeling the iciness nipping at every pore. Together, we straightened and looked at each other's faces. Together, we laughed and smiled, dripping wet. I reached up and brushed his bangs; he held our bodies close._

_Closing my eyes, I lowered my hand and rested my forehead against his. A third time my hair turned blonde, and the markings around my eyes faded, before I looked myself._

**

* * *

**

First District began to empty as the clock wound through the hours of night. Few burned the midnight oil, including the ladies selecting herbs in Aerith's garden, and the boys keeping vigilance in the infirmary. Downstairs, in the sleeping quarters beside the shop portion, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were being put to sleep by Goofy and their uncle Donald.

A sudden chill fleetingly manifested in Hikari's tremulous form, eliciting a single shiver and a small shifting of her arms above the sheets. Remaining totally unconscious, her arms moved up a little from her sides so her hands rested near her waist and navel. Her lips parted in a sharp intake of breath.

Sora's attention was grasped quickly. He sat on the bed next to her and had his body facing toward Leon, who sat in a chair in the aisle. Quietly he watched for a few moments, and saw that whatever had disturbed her had been minuscule and momentary. _Nothing to worry about, I guess. . . ._

Leon directed his glance from Hikari to the next bed behind Sora, where Hinata slept with her back facing toward them. Her hair spread across her shoulders, back, and the sheets, strands of blue reminiscent for him of a certain girl.

The young brunette peeled his eyes away from Hikari in order to resume his conversation with the man, but noticed the scowl of absence on his face. Curiosity gaining the better of him, he twisted to follow his gaze. His head tilted in an inquiring way as he turned back and asked, "Why do you keep giving Hinata funny looks?"

The swordsman was broken from his apparent trance and looked at Sora. He opened his mouth and was ready to speak—but Aerith beat him to the punch when she entered the doorway: "She looks a lot like Calantha." She smiled. "At least from behind."

Sora's head lifted with a hopeful expression. "Did you guys finish the antidote?"

She shook her head. "We're not done yet, but we're close. Sakura has some things up here she says might tie it together, that aren't in my garden."

His face fell a little, but he was not too disappointed. "Oh. So, um . . . who's Calantha?"

She opened one of the cupboards and began pulling jars. Since she did not face them, her lightly apparent sorrow was hidden from them. "She was a friend of ours; best friend of mine. Leon was in love with her, and she was with him. Everyone knew how they felt, but they were pretty oblivious to each other's."

Her voice was nostalgic. "His face still gets all red when you mention her. . . . He was going to ask her to be his, when the darkness consumed our world. . . ." She hesitated. "Calantha's been lost ever since."

The Keybearer was certainly empathetic, instantly thinking of Kairi and Riku. "Leon. . . ."

A moment of silence commenced, filled only with the accented sounds of Hikari's breath. Yuffie stood in the doorway with Donald and Goofy behind her. After a moment of awkwardness, she walked in with her hands on her hips and her chin lifted vainly. Breaking the hush, she said, "Well, Calantha might've had Squall's attention, but all of the other guys were just dyin' to be with a babe like me!"

The green-eyed brunette woman turned and seemed to welcome the lighter subject; she countered simply, "No they weren't."

Yuffie scoffed and formed fists at her sides. She didn't hide her outrage. "What! Of course they were! I was the single white flower of Hollow Bastion, a sexy, super-awesome ninja! I had offers all the time!" Face-down, she plopped onto the bed nearest the door. "Anyway—man, I'm pooped! First District: it's safe again."

Leon shifted one of his arms from across the front of him to pinch the bridge of his nose. ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ." The red on his face dwindled to pink, and he regarded Sora once more. "So, you found the Keyhole."

"Huh?" Having been caught up in the banter, he had not realized the subject was being changed back to what had been earlier discussed. "Oh! Yeah. The Keyblade locked it automatically."

Aerith arranged some jars on the counter. "Good."

The swordsman crossed his arms. "Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well."

"What do you mean?"

"It was in Ansem's Report."

He nodded. "Heartless enter the Keyhole and do something to the world's core, though the report doesn't specify exactly what. Maybe it's similar to what they do to a person's heart."

A small pause followed as Leon let his words hang and Sora waited for more to be said; he looked between both brunette adults. When neither of them added more thoughts, he asked, "What happens to the world?"

Aerith was the one to answer. "In the end, it disappears."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy could not hide their surprise. "What!" The brunette straightened a little and all of them had agape jaws. For Sora, he could remember once more when Destiny Islands met its end.

"That's why your key is so important," explained Leon.

From by the counter, Aerith said the Keybearer's name and drew his cognizance. She had three jars cradled in her arm and a fourth in her hand; her lower back rested against the counter. There was a solemn concern in her eyes as she regarded him. "Please seal the Keyholes. You're the only one who can."

The Keybearer furrowed his brow and lowered his eyes, feeling an awkward, under-confident blush heat his face. Once more, the pressure of a task seeming so grand weighed on his slouched shoulders. Doubt was evident in the shadows of his eyes. "I don't know . . . I'm just a kid."

Speaking lightly, almost as if he were a little amused, Leon reminded him, "Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well."

"Yeah!" Donald agreed.

Encouragingly positive, Goody added, "We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!"

"And we'll be with you every step of the way!"

Sora smiled, and his brow became slack. "I guess you're right. . . ." More confidently, he raised his head and nodded. "Okay!"

**

* * *

**

_I don't think I wanted to wake up. The feelings were true enough, and everything felt so vividly real, yet I knew it could be nothing but a dream. If I could've continued to sleep, I didn't have to face that fact, and could've stayed safe in his arms._

Hikari's eyes fluttered open, presenting her first with a blurry image. As her mind drifted slowly to consciousness, she focused her vision and saw the crevices separating the sandstone tiles of the ceiling. She exhaled a staggering sigh when she tried to move her body, only to find that she had minimal strength. Then she noticed how her body trembled still. ". . . ?"

Exerting little strength to lift it, she rolled her head to the side and surveyed her surroundings. Considering the set up, and how she remembered the end of her and Sora's battle versus Sasori, she deduced the setting was an infirmary—but where? Thus far, she had been a patient solely to the Olympus Coliseum's, and the woodwork was certainly not of that world.

She curled her fingers a little and wrinkled the sheets covering her belly. Slowly she slid them down to her sides and tried once more to sit up. She was very weak, and her palpitating muscles were not aiding the matter. As she moved her felt the IV in her arm, and tried not to dislodge it. "How—did I get, here?"

When she was able to lifted her head and shoulders, barely make it so her elbows supported her, she heard footsteps from beyond the door that steadily grew louder. There was a light humming in a familiar voice, and the creaking of wood suggested the compilation of the floors or stairs outside. _Am I in . . . ?_

A dark figure appeared in the doorway and reached over the frame to flip the light switch. Hikari hissed as bright light filled her eyes and she quickly shut them. She saw rectangular spots staining her lids, and heard the female voice cease to hum, saying, "Oh! You're awake."

_Traverse Town._ She thought she recognized Aerith's voice. Hikari faltered a little, but caught her breath and managed to stay up. Her grunts of effort were unsightly as she slowly pulled herself back up and straightened a bit more. By the time she had her hands instead of her elbows supporting her, she was breathing heavily. Continuous palpitations toughened the task of sitting up. She opened her eyes and looked at Aerith.

"You really shouldn't be doing that," the brunette pointed out. "You're too weak; you're straining your body." She looked different from the last time the kunoichi had seen her; she had traded the blue belt around her waist for a red, short-sleeved jacket that she left open.

Hikari ignored the statement and pulled herself forward, hunching. Her mouth was dry, and when she tried to speak, there was only a hoarse exhalation. She gathered saliva in her mouth to wet it and swallowed before asking, "How long was I out?"

"About two days. Everyone was very worried." Aerith walked over to the counter and pulled a cup from one of the cupboards. She filled it with water and then crossed the room to Hikari; she brought the cup to her lips. "Drink this. It'll make it easier to swallow the antidote."

"Antidote—glrk!" Hikari obeyed and gulped it down successfully without it being spilled down the front of her. She felt the moisture sink into her tongue and throat, lessening the feel of cottonmouth. "So, I really was poisoned? Like Sasori said? I was starting to lose focus by then. . . ."

Aerith nodded. "And it almost killed you. Sakura was able to stop the poison before it reached that point, but you were close to a very critical condition. Up until a few hours ago, she was creating that antidote for you. She's resting now." She pulled the cup away and returned to the sink.

"She's amazing, actually. She remained so calm on the outside, but I think under the surface some rage was definitely bubbling. I was waiting for her to explode," she noted humorously. "The first day she arrived here, she got very angry at one of the townspeople for lechery. He hasn't peeped at a girl since. Hee hee, she's very scary when she's mad, isn't she? But she still has the compassion to be a skilled healer."

"Yeah, I . . . guess she saved my life. . . ." Hikari thought back to what she had said to Sakura the last time she had been to Traverse Town about her skills and ability. She especially thought of the word she had used to describe her: hindrance. She wondered if she had been a little harsh; not that she was ready to revise her analysis or repeal her statement. She had commended Sakura's medical talent, and she had certainly proved herself in that respect. However, when she thought of it, that time probably was like beating a wounded horse.

Then she looked at herself. She acted recklessly and paid a price, forcing their group to remain idle two days' time—time which could have been used toward their search for the King, Sora's friends, and her brother. For a second time in their journey, her body had betrayed her and forestalled the group's advances. _She_ was the hindrance, and apparently something of a hypocrite.

Aerith came back with the antidote for the poison and supported her from behind, allowing Hikari to hold the cup herself. "Drink up!"

Hikari shut her eyes and brought the cup to her mouth. Like she had the water, she gulped it down—though this time somewhat frantically as she wanted to get the bitterness of the taste over with; her expression displayed much dislike for the flavor. She shuddered when she swallowed the last of it and handed the cup back.

_Medicine shouldn't be so gross._

The brunette withdrew her support. "There. You'll be fine now. Sleep and rest until the trembling stops. Okay?"

The trembling already seemed to have lessened, but did not go away completely. Instead of lying back down to sleep, she asked, "How's Sora?"

"Hmm? Oh, the wounds on his back. They weren't serious, so he's okay. A simply Cura spell, and not even a scar. He'll be back from Merlin's soon, so he'll be relieved to see you woke up and took the antidote." From near the sink, where she had been rinsing the containers, she turned around, placed a hand on her hip, and teasingly wagged a lecturing finger. "Now don't make me come over there and force you to lay down!"

"Mm. Alright." _This medicine . . . is making me drowsy, anyway._ With less effort than was required to sit up, she lied back down. _That dream was pretty weird . . . I don't know what to think about it. Why would I have dreams like that, and about that boy?_ She shut her eyes.

**

* * *

**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered Third District from the door marked with a sign of fire. Though the Traverse Town sky was about the same color as always, the time was dusk and day was crossing into the evening.

Stretching his arms up and arching back, the brunette looked up at the stars. He stepped up to his tippy-toes before his heels touched the ground once more. His eyelids were a bit heavier than normal due either to what was on his mind or all the energy he had expended on spell casting that day. "Do you think Hiki woke up today?"

"I hope so," Donald admitted.

"A-hyuck! See? Ya _do_ care about Hiki, Donald!" grinned Goofy.

"Wak!" The duck shook his head vigorously. "No I don't, it's not like that!" His feathers were ruffled and a little pink. "When she gets better, we can go and look for the King again!"

Sora laced his fingers behind his head and looked back at him. Lightly he teased, "It's okay, Donald. All for one, remember?"

"But—!" He was starting to respond when a few Heartless appeared in front of them. The three of them quieted and produced their weapons in order to fight, but the matter was taken from their hands when a fourth person felled the creatures in a single strike.

Sora's jaw dropped.

Riku stood casually with a fist resting on his hip and his other hand wielding his weapon "Soul Eater." He swept across the front of him and coolly remarked, "There you are. What's going on?"

There was an inexplicable glee in the Keybearer's heart. Eyes sustaining their widened state, he stepped toward his friend and stretched his mouth, like he needed to feel him in order to believe he was physically there—especially due to the hallucinations he had about Kairi. "Riku!"

This resulted in an uncomfortable, albeit comical, bobbing, stretching, and manhandling of the silver-haired teen's face. In retaliation, he pushed the brunette's arm away. "Hey, hey, cut it out."

Baby blue orbs remaining pleasantly surprised scanned the figure of him up and down. They absorbed the familiarity of the baggy blue pants, sleeveless yellow shirt, shoulder-length silver hair, and enviable, muscular arms. "I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

He swept his hair back and dismissed Soul Eater. "I hope not. Took forever to find you."

The smile marking the Keybearer's face was broad and his eyes narrowed in genuine happiness. "Riku!" Soon, however, his smile faltered when he realized they were still short of someone. "Wait a second, where's Kairi?"

"Isn't she with you?" He was responded to by a despondent lowering of the head. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island. Naruto, too." He stepped past Sora and lifted his gaze to the sky. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now." Behind him, a Shadow was manifesting. "We'll all be together soon. Don't worry." His voice was soothing and then confident as he flicked his head toward him. Just leave everything to me. I know this—"

The Heartless started for Riku, but Sora did not let it move more than a few steps before he lunged toward it and swept his Keyblade to vanquish it in one cool, dramatic hit. As Riku turned around, the brunette was straightening and propped his Key onto his shoulder. "Leave it to _who?_"

Wearing a shocked expression, the silver-haired teen breathlessly uttered, "Sora, what did you—?"

He lowered the Keyblade to his side. "I've been looking for you, and Kairi too, with their help." Donald and Goofy nodded.

After a short pause, Riku inquired, "Who are they?"

Donald coughed into his hand. "Ahem. My name is—"

But Sora cut him off, adding, "We've been to so many places and worlds, looking for you."

"Really?" he questioned in genuine surprise. "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

Goofy placed his hands on Sora's shoulders proudly. "Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade Master."

The duck crossed his arms. "Who would've thought it?"

Beginning to nod before he realized what he was agreeing to, the brunette twisted and leaned down to get in the duck's face and clenched his fists. "What's that supposed to mean!"

Somehow, Riku had taken a hold of the Keyblade and lifted it above his head as he examined it. "So, this is called a 'Keyblade'?"

"Huh?" Sora turned his attention away from the duck and checked his hand, which was empty. "Hey, give it back." He moved to grab it, but the teen hopped back, taking the Key out of reach and causing him to stumble.

Riku raised it and regarded it calculatingly, keeping his thoughts to himself, and tossed it back. "Catch!"

"Whoa." He caught it in both hands. Spirited still, he asked, "Okay, so you're coming with us, right? We've got this _awesome_ rocket. Wait 'til you see it!"

Ever the cloud raining on someone's parade, Donald put his hands on his hips. "No, he can't come!"

"What?"

"Forget it!"

"Oh, come on! He's my friend!"

"I don't care!"

Goofy looked away from the squabbling pair to where Riku had been standing; currently, the space was empty. "Huh? He's gone!"

Sora looked around. "Riku?"

The only sound that responded to him was the tapping of Donald's webbed foot.

With an underlying tone of resentment, the brunette murmured, "Nice going." In an attempt to remain somewhat cheery, he looked at the positive side and hooked his hands behind his head. "Oh, well. At least I know he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll find Kairi soon, too."

The other two agreed and they continued on.

**

* * *

**

Hikari struggled to bring herself up over the edge of the roof of a building directly in-between Second and Third District. Even with the ladder to support her, her body was finding the task to be a difficult one. Sweat glistened on her face, and heat collected under her hair. She grunted as she managed to get herself on all fours.

It brought a great deal of strain, but she had felt the need for the challenge. Especially after learning she had wasted two days, she had to test for herself how much she could do in hopes that she would at least be well enough to pilot the Gummi toward the next world and perform basic movement.

Thus far, she had been able to keep her body under control, for the most part, and she had remained conscious. The tremors in her body were very minuscule but seemed to strengthen with her physical exertion. She could feel her seal begin to irritate, attempt to take advantage of her state, but she was suppressing it somehow.

Oddly, she found that she was drawn toward this area for some reason, too. It was one of the main driving forces that nagged her to sneak out of that infirmary and wander the town—for no reason aside from the aforementioned excuses she had rationalized after the fact.

After taking a moment to rest on her hands and knees, she brought herself to her feet with many grunts of effort. Though she was shaking some, it did not affect her balance too greatly as she walked toward the other side. Her breath was accented, but she tried controlling it by breathing in through her nose. _Maybe I should've waited for the trembling to stop completely before attempting this._

She stood steady in the middle of the roof and stared down into Third District. There were four figures down there, all of whom she recognized. Sora, Donald, Goofy . . . and the fourth she knew in two ways. Personally, she had met him in Wonderland, where he had attempted (and by her speculation succeeded) to kidnap Alice. She had also met him twice upon a dream, knowing him as Riku. . . .

For a few moments she stared at him and thought of the dreams. They were so bizarre, so surreal . . . so vivid and unbelievable.

_I don't remember dreaming being such a bizarre experience. But then, when I used to dream often, I often forgot them about as soon as I opened my eyes. I just knew that I'd had them._

A sudden migraine came to be deep within her mind, like someone had taken a knife and buried it in her skull. Her breath hitched as she grabbed both sides of her head and her vision became less defined. "Uh, wa—? Mm . . . nrgh. . . ." Images from her dreams, vivid enough she decided to be comparable to memories, mixed with the scene before her, like hallucinations. She tried to focus on Riku.

_These islands . . . they're a world completely unrelated to me. Waves gently roll over white sands, and the laughter of people around my age ring through the coconut trees. I know their names, yet I'm almost sure I've never met them._

The migraine intensified as she struggled to conjure some veritable remembrance of the place, and she started to slip into delusions. She was struggling to stay awake, despite how much her head swam.

_Selphie, Tidus, Wakka. Kairi and Riku. I only know Sora, truly, though my brother for some reason is present too. They're unfamiliar friends in an unfamiliar place, yet I feel like I __**do**__ know them._

Leon was walking along the rooftops that were in line with the area where Hikari stood. His Gunblade was in his hand, for he was on patrol for Heartless, and he had chosen this particular row of rooftops because it allowed him to see into both Second and Third District.

_So, which is it?_

_I don't know._

_I don't know._

The brunette swordsman glanced into Third District and saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy talking to a boy with silver hair—to everyone present but him, he was "Riku." He found he did not recognize him at all, and wondered briefly if he was a new refugee, when a whimper—which escaped from Hiki—caught his attention.

_The wraith with blonde hair is the only one whose name escapes me. She talks with Riku a lot, and listens too; a lot of the time, they talk about what's out "there." They appear smitten. Yet, no one else acknowledges her. They don't see her._

_Why?_

_Why do I know everyone else and not her?_

_I don't know._

_I don't know._

_Who is she?_

_I don't know._

Riku fled from Third District while his friend was distracted, and his disappearance seemed to affect the delusional Hikari. Though she was already unstable due to her physical ailments and the migraine gave her dizzying delusions that closed her off mostly from the world, it was not until then that she stumbled. As though drawn subconsciously by Riku, like she intended to follow him, she lifted a foot and stepped off the roof.

_She appears in the dreams when I'm not there, and at times, it's like we share the same role. She never becomes me, but my face will briefly become hers. My hair turns blonde, my skin takes on a healthier color, the purple markings around my eyes disappear. Two things remain unchanged, and one of them is the way we look at Riku—the same way I used to look at Sasuke._

_Her eyes . . . they're the same color as mine._

Leon's eyes widened and he sprinted across the roofs to come to her aide. Images of the night nine years ago, of losing Calantha rushed through his mind.

_Her terrorized, tear-filled eyes._

He dived to lie flatly on the roof and extended his arm over the edge.

_The darkness as it enveloped her figure._

His hand closed around her wrist, and stopped her descent.

"_**SQUALL!"**_

Hikari's head rolled back and she squinted through hardly parted lids with her grey eyes; she fainted, and they closed.

_A crash of thunder overhead._

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

**End of Chapter Twenty-one**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-two: Green With Envy

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood; the brunette spoke. "Uh . . . what's going on, Cid?" Leon uncrossed his arms and stood off of the wall.

The old man turned his head toward the Traverse Town inhabitants. His expression was indubitably grim. "You guys remember Maleficent? Might just be rumors, but I hear she's in town."

* * *

Hola! Here's the next chapter :D This is definitely one of my favorite ones so far-right in par with chapter ten, with shirtless Cloud ^^ *coughs* Anyway, not too much to say that I can think of right now. Leave your comments in a review, I can't wait to hear back from you :D Thanks to Akumu and narcotic-lullaby for being so faithful in reviewing! **Thanks for reading, God bless!**


	22. Green With Envy

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Leon's eyes widened and he sprinted across the roofs to come to her aide. Images of the night nine years ago, of losing Calantha rushed through his mind.

_Her terrorized, tear-filled eyes._

He dived to lie flatly on the roof and extended his arm over the edge.

_The darkness as it enveloped her figure._

His hand closed around her wrist, and stopped her descent.

**_"SQUALL!"_**

Hikari's head rolled back and she squinted through hardly parted lids with her grey eyes; she fainted, and they closed.

_A crash of thunder overhead._

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

**Chapter Twenty-two: Green With Envy**

_Her palms were damp. As I grabbed her arm, I could feel the sweat as her hand brushed me. Maybe it was physical exertion. Maybe it was anxiety. Maybe it was linked to whatever kept her deluded. All I know is if I had tried grabbing her hand, she might've slipped through my fingers._

_Like Calantha._

_I felt a little relieved. I know saving Hikari didn't make up for what happened to Calantha, and the parallels between these instances were weak, but I couldn't help that my shoulders lightened a little. I think about Calantha every day, and I didn't need a memory to join hers, no matter how insignificant the similarities were__—_

_Stop it. Don't think so much. "What if" thoughts aren't thoughts I should have._

_What if the next time Sora brings someone here, it's her? This hope is something I shouldn't have and don't want. What would I do if I saw her again? What would she do?_

_It doesn't matter. Stop thinking about it. She's gone._

". . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_I wouldn't want to hurt like that anymore. I don't want to feel that loss again. I'd be determined not to lose her again. And if I don't have her, I can't lose her._

_I wish I didn't have to think so much. I just end up more confused._

_I won't rest. Not until the worlds are restored. For her sake, and the sake of everyone else. With the Keyblade on our side, maybe this can finally be realized._

". . . . . . . . . . . . ."

**

* * *

**

There was another facility created in Traverse Town since the last time the group was there. A small, one-roomed house in Third District had been furnished into a sort-of headquarters for efforts versus the Heartless. Because the infirmary housed a few new refugees temporarily, Hikari had been brought to this place.

A bed—on which she lied—was in the corner and set parallel to the door. A round table, close to the floor, was closer to the center, but still somewhat in that corner. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hinata were at that table playing cards.

Leon leaned by a wardrobe fashioned from dark wood against a wall, one of four which was decorated with blue wallpaper. Aerith, Yuffie, and Sakura stood around, talking about current events.

"Gin!" Goofy exclaimed with a broad grin as he laid his cards down facing up.

The other three players stared at him and awkwardly blinked. With an amused smile, Hinata began, "Um, Goofy, we aren't playing that game—"

Donald interrupted her. "We're playing Go Fish, you big palooka!"

"Oops, sorry," he responded sheepishly. "A-hyuck. . . ."

The cards were all placed in the center and collected by Hinata, who began shuffling them. "It's alright, Goofy. We'll start again." She had a kind smile, a genuine, ginger demeanor due in part to her introverted nature. Often she was shy, and around Traverse Town inhabitants this was true, but with the trio she was less so—just a smidgen.

Sora lazily set his small hand of cards on the pairs he had accumulated before him and slid them toward her. As he waited, he twisted to regard Hikari, whose face was not too far from his back, and stared. He was neither smiling nor frowning, apparently in thought.

Jiminy noticed while he held his journal and pen—both shrunken to manageable size. He misread the brunette's expression. "Don't worry, Sora. She fainted, but this time just because she pushed herself a little hard when she should've been recovering. Why, she's only resting now."

The Keybearer turned his head toward the cricket. "Oh, I'm not worried, I know she's okay—she finally took the antidote." He glanced up at the ceiling and scratched the back of his head. "I guess . . . I don't know, just thinking. It's been a few days, and I'll I've seen her is like this. I'm used to her being . . . 'there,' I guess. Y'know?"

Hinata regarded him thoughtfully. "You miss her. . . ."

Sora raised a brow, "—Huh?—," and then blushed. Averting his eyes, he now scratched his temple. "Oh . . . well, when you put it that way, it's kinda embarrassing."

Her eyes widened and her face flushed. "Ah! I-I'm sorry . . . it was r-rude of me to make that assumption," she stuttered. Clearly embarrassed, she fidgeted with the cards in hand and continued shuffling them despite that they were already well mixed.

Donald interjected with a teasing glance. "Don't worry, Hinata, Sora gets like this with girls all the time."

The brunette placed his hands on his knees and leaned toward the duck. "Do not!"

Jiminy looked in his journal. "Sora, I think Donald's right. You get mighty funny around girls—oh, but not in a bad way, of course." The cricket looked up at him. "You've got a good heart, Sora, and you care about your friends a lot."

He did not respond to the cricket, nor did he to the duck's following comment of "aw, phooey." He instead turned around and directed his attention to Hikari. He had a sudden petulant and unexplainable impulse to poke her forehead. He wanted her to wake up already, and wondered if poking her would do it.

He rested an elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. Poking her would do no hazard, of that he was certain. Yes she needed to rest, but did she need to _hibernate?_ She had hardly had any hours of consciousness these past few days. _And if she doesn't wake up, no harm done._

Appearing disinterested, he lifted his hand from his knee and pointed his finger toward her forehead. Stealthily, he slid his gaze to the right and glanced at everyone; he twisted to include those behind him. No one was paying attention. Smiling to himself, he slowly started to inch his finger toward Hikari and turned back.

When he looked at her once more, and his finger was an inch from her face, both of her eyes were open.

"Whoa!" Startled, the Keybearer jumped back a little and withdrew his hand. His face turned red and many eyes were on him.

Seemingly tired still, Hikari closed her eyes and bent her elbows so her palms were on the bed (she was face down.) With much less effort than she would exhibit before, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, straightened her back, and turned so she could cross her legs and sit on her bottom. She rested her back against the wall.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, loosely crossing her arms. "What were you trying to do?"

Sora opened his mouth to reply when the door to the small house opened and the air within the room tensed. Voices quieted as everyone regarded the doorway. Before he even turned, he could feel a permeating dampness of spirits. Cid stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood; the brunette spoke. "Uh . . . what's going on, Cid?" Leon uncrossed his arms and stood off of the wall.

The old man turned his head toward the Traverse Town inhabitants. His expression was indubitably grim. "You guys remember Maleficent? Might just be rumors, but I hear she's in town."

Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon all reacted visibly, each medium, extreme, and mild respectively—there was no mistaking the disturbance. Their expressions quickly turned somber, even angry. Yuffie's fists clenched and her teeth grit.

"Who is she?" Sora inquired.

"A witch, man, she's a witch!"

Leon crossed his arms and gazed at the floor. "She's the reason this town's full of Heartless. Don't take her lightly."

"She's been using the Heartless for years!" Yuffie exclaimed. "We lost our world, thanks to her."

"One day, a warm of Heartless took over our world! That was nine years ago." Cid reached for the carton of cigarettes in the band of his goggles, but thought twice when he saw Hikari; one did not smoke in the room of a patient. Rather than face Sakura's wrath, he brushed his hand through his hair instead. "I got outta that mess and came here with these guys."

"That's awful!" Donald said.

"I had no idea you guys were cut from the same cloth, from the same world even," Hikari stated. "Nine years. . . . That's a long time."

"Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem," annexed Leon. He lifted his gaze to look in the direction of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari. "You remember what we said about his report? He dedicated his life to studying the Heartless. It should tell us how to eradicate them."

"But we don't have that report. Scattered, isn't that right?" Hikari stared into space. "That's why we think the King left; to go find the pages."

Bitterly, Cid remarked, "I'm sure Maleficent's got most of them."

**

* * *

**

Riku stood outside the small house and looked through the window. He was close enough to see the interior, but far enough not to be seen from inside. The shadows of the two robed figures behind him on either side darkened him. On his left was a man with many piercings on his face and a black robe with red clouds clothing his body.

"Do you see now? It's just as Maleficent and I said to you," he spoke. His eyes of many rings stared into the window, and the exaggerated collar of his robe nearly eclipsed his pierced lips. "Sora doesn't care about you. He is blinded by the light, and would never understand true darkness."

Maleficent continued. "While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions." She placed a hand on Riku's shoulder and leaned in. "He wouldn't utilize the darkness, he would never face that binding fear to find you or your friend. He isn't _strong_ like you."

Inside the small house, the mood was lighter. Sora stood with his hands behind his head and his side toward the window. Riku saw the duck and dog-like someone he had seen with the brunette earlier, but they did not appear to be to whom he spoke. There was a girl sitting on the bed.

He vaguely remembered her as the girl from Wonderland who had attempted to stand in his way when he kidnapped the little blonde girl named Alice. She was being medically examined by a pink-haired kunoichi, but seemed to be listening.

The silver-haired teen's eyes narrowed as he stared at them, especially the girl. His eyes were unmistakably green with envy: the jacket that the girl wore was precisely the same as his "friend's." _Sora . . . so you've replaced Kairi, too?_

"Evidently, he values them far more than he does you," Maleficent whispered into his ear. "You're better off without that _wretched_ boy." She turned her eyes away from the window and to him. "Now, think no more of him, and come with us. Pain and I will help you find what you're searching for."

Maleficent began to guide Riku away; he followed without protest, giving only one last glance to the party. When he passed Pain, he looked forward again, shrugging from beneath the witch's scarlet fingernails.

Pain momentarily lingered as he stared at Hinata through the window. A gentle breeze fleetingly disturbed his Akatsuki coat.

A deafening bell tolled, causing the party inside the small house to stir a smidgen. Silently, the Akatsuki leader sank into the shadows and departed.

**

* * *

**

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Hinata, and Hikari jumped varying heights—from Hikari's flinch to Sora's few inches—and looked around whilst the Traverse Town inhabitants glanced passively toward a particular direction.

"What was that?" Sora inquired.

"The bell above the Gizmo Shop in Second District," Sakura answered. "You get used to it, but it rings at random times." She took a small flashlight and shined it in Hikari's eyes. When she finished she withdrew herself and the light. "Looks like you're healthy now; you just need to _rest._ You're body's not under attack anymore, it's just tired."

"I see." Hikari crossed her arms over the front of her stomach, bare still for she wore simply Sora's jacket. She had noticed he wore another of the same—Donald must have conjured it. She lifted her head and looked at the medical nin. "When can we leave, then? We're on a mission."

Sakura held her chin and thought it over. "Well, you are recovering pretty quickly. . . ." She turned to her and her patient's hand, gazing at it. "It's very subtle, but you are still trembling. Too much physical activity will bring those back if done too quickly after they disappear. I guess that after you leave here, though, you'll be mostly piloting the Gummi, which isn't very strenuous." She let go of her hand. "We'll see about the day you stop trembling completely."

"Mm. . . ." Hikari lowered her gaze to her sheets and did not express her thought. She was normally patient, but it was not a precedent she religiously adhered to. It was certainly easier to circumvent petulance with others than herself.

There was a short pause that was broken by Yuffie. She had her arms crossed and her weight shifted to her left."There's a legend about it, you know. The bell above the Gizmo Shop. Something's supposed to happen if you ring it three times."

Sakura crossed her arms. "I don't remember anyone telling me about that legend."

Sora grinned. "That kinda sounds like fun. How 'bout it, guys?" He turned to Donald and Goofy. "You wanna go check it out?"

They nodded.

Hinata stood and pushed the pads of her pointers together. "Um, may I come with you?" She did not look directly at him.

"Of course!"

"But it's all boarded up," Aerith added. "Nobody can get in there."

The pink-haired kunoichi smirked and lifted her hand, on which she was pulling a brown glove. "Not when I'm through with it." Her hand was closed to a fist. "I'm curious about this bell, too. I'm in."

"Alright, it's settled then. We'll all go." The Keybearer scanned their faces, gauging understanding. Grinning broadly when he saw everyone comprehended, he ran toward the door and yelled, "I call ringing the bell!"

Donald squawked protest and chased after him. "What! Ohh no you don't!"

"Wait, fellas!" Goofy came after them. "Rock, paper, scissors!"

". . . Idiots," Hikari muttered under her breath as she shook her head. Her tone was light, not quite as scornful as it could have been. She watched as Sakura and Hinata follow the boys. _With them gone at least, I should be able to sleep easier, recover sooner, and then we can leave quicker, isn't that right?_ She thought when looking at her pillow.

". . . ." Reluctantly, she leaned over to lay her head on the pillow and rest on her side. It was somewhat quiet since some of the more rambunctious persons were gone, and Yuffie was heading out. She heard her say something about a tournament, and saw through closing eyes that she dragged Leon out with her. _Sleep._

**

* * *

**

Hinata followed the group into Second District, bringing up the rear. Sora was running up the steps on the West side of the District with Donald and Goofy close behind, coming around the stairs' bend. Sakura was approaching the bottom when she heard her fellow kunoichi trip.

"Huh?" The pink-haired nin paused and turned around. Sure enough, the Hyuuga was on her hands and knees. "Are you okay? Did you twist something?"

The blue-nette twisted into a sitting position and adjusted her skirt over her outstretched legs. The strap of her sandal had come undone, causing it to become loose on her foot. She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, no, I'm okay. Please, go ahead without me! I won't be far behind."

Sakura nodded and turned back toward the stairs. Instead of turning in order to run up the bed, she hunkered a smidgen and vaulted, cutting the corner so she could better catch up with the trio. The tacking of her zori filled the empty district until she entered the double doors of the Gizmo Shop.

Hinata bent her leg and reached around; quickly she fixed the sandal and snugly fastened it. She stood, and was about to run after the group, when a group of Heartless surrounded her.

"Ah. . . ." The kunoichi regarded them nervously and took a step away from the Soldiers before her. Briefly she considered running away; then she frowned. "No . . . I'm not running anymore. I'll fight." Closing her eyes, she performed a quick string of hand seals. Veins became more evident around her eyes. "Byakugan!"

When she opened her eyes, a Shadow pounced and she concentrated chakra outside her hand into the form of a needle before throwing it at the creature. It burst into dark particles and disappeared. She also threw multiple chakra needles at the Yellow Rhapsodies preparing to strike her with their Thunder-based magic.

While the other Heartless poised to attack her all at once, she raised one of her hands, gathered chakra in her palm, and swept it down in front of her, leaving a suspended blade of her chakra. With her natural flexibility and exceptional chakra control, her arms began creating more of these blades around her at so rapid a pace, her movements were a blur. The blades visibly manifested in a cross-cross fashion, much like a chain-link fence. She reached every surrounding part of her effortlessly, creating a complete defense. _Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!_

When the Heartless attacked, the jutsu approved to be effective both defensively and offensively. A Soldier jumped and was performing a spinning kick, only to be felled the moment its foot touched the chakra blade. The other Heartless met very similar fates; some needed to be struck by a second or third blade.

The Heartless were made quick work of, and the Hyuuga ceased the jutsu when they stopped appearing. She stood alone, and the stillness was broken only by the first toll of the Gizmo Shop's bell. She was about to run off to join the others before it was too late, but her nearly 360-egree byakugan sight caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar chakra network in her peripheral.

The bell tolled again.

She quickly turned her head in the direction of the chakra, but whomever it belonged to disappeared in a flash; it flickered in her vision. Next she knew, a blunt force connected with the back of her skill directly where her blind spot was.

The bell rang a third time.

The force was strong enough to deactivate her byakugan and bring her to her knees before she collapsed. The side of her head lied on the concrete, and her eyes gazed at Second District's fountain. It was a half-circle fountain resting against the wall. A square of mosaic tile of a flowery design had been there before, and now it was minutely different. Water spouted skyward in short intervals, and in the butterfly-speckled mosaic there was a large Keyhole.

Hinata's vision darkened as her mind slipped from consciousness. The last she remembered seeing were polished toes in blue zori and the hem of a black coat with artistic red clouds.

**

* * *

**

A light but noticeable weight depressed the area in front of Hikari's face, something she noted because despite laying down for a few minutes, she was not quite asleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she stirred. She lifted her head just a smidgen, and saw a pocket with multiple sleeves.

Hikari propped herself onto an elbow and brushed her fingers over the pocket. Wrenches of varying sizes fit most of the sleeves, and there were screwdriver heads of different sizes and fashions that could be fitted to the single body. They were basic tools one could utilize for Gummi ship repair.

". . . ?" The kunoichi lifted her head and regarded Cid, who stood next to the bed. He was rubbing the back of his head, apparently expecting her to be asleep. "What is this?" asked she.

The older man had a toothpick stuck in his mouth, probably because at present he was prohibited from smoking. He rested his hands on his hips. "Your Gummi was torn to hell. Damn surprised the thing still ran. While you were sleepin', I fixed 'er up; she's runnin' like a dream now. Threw in a Warp-G for the heck of it. Now you'll be able to warp to worlds you've been to before.

"Anyway, that there's a pocket kit with your basic tools. Sora mentioned that when you crashed you lost a lotta stuff—your tools among 'em. Those should let you fix any basic problem you encounter, and let you come back here for more complex stuff. I'll help in any way that I can."

Hikari's fingers closed over the opposite end of the pocket hesitantly and her cheeks warmed a little. "Um, thank you. For the tools, and fixing the Gummi. . . ." Feeling there must have been a catch somewhere, she questioned, "How much will this cost us?"

"No charge. Consider it a 'get well' gift, if ya want."

Her eyes widened a fraction. "A gift?"

"Well, yeah. In the future, though, it'll cost ya, so don't make a habit of it!" He rubbed his closely cropped beard. "Now, go to sleep, missy. Rest or else you won't heal."

She averted her eyes and smiled a little, feeling her face warm up as she drew the pocket tool kit toward her, and felt a small stirring in her chest. "Thanks, Cid." She shifted position so her arm was flat and her head rested on the pillow. Her hand lied over the pocket tool kit.

For a heartless girl, she was rather touched.

She closed her eyes and thought, _But the longer I'm with him, the more it seems like I __**do**__ have a heart. I keep feeling. Is it his power as the Keybearer, like he's unlocked some sort of connection with my heart, wherever it may be? Or is it something else?_

She opened her eyes a little and gazed at the tools. It felt like she was receiving a gift for the first time—and in a way, it was. She had never received something like this—especially from an adult—seemingly for no particular reason. The ship was a necessity for her and her fellow travelers, but the tools were not—sheer thoughtfulness.

_A Keybearer's connection with my heart, or something else, these emotions seem to grow each day._

**End of Chapter Twenty-two**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-three: FAKE

"Anyway—," she looked around wildly whilst conjuring a subject change, "—uh . . . s-so you guys are entering the tournament, too?"

Sora grinned and closed his hands to his chest. "Wouldn't miss it!" he said, looking at her. He was concerned about Hikari, but he did remember that he had a promise to keep, and that he had to smile. He would probably ask her about it later.

The self-proclaimed "great ninja Yuffie" hopped in front of Cloud and Leon; proudly she stood with her legs apart and her hands on her hips. "Well, you're looking at the squad that's gonna win this thing! The best of the best: Team Yuffie!" She pulled out a large fuuma shuriken and held it in front of her. Behind her, Leon held his Gunblade over his shoulder and Cloud had his hand on the handle of his bandaged Buster Sword, which touched his back.

* * *

So, I'm not really proud with this chapter. It's the shortest I've written for WDTL, coming in barely at 4,000 words (including preview and recap) and to me it feels like it has few redeeming qualities. So I didn't want to post it by itself. That's why it's been about two months since I've posted, by the way XD But! At least I'm giving you two chapters-the next one is much better and longer! Altogether, these two chapters equal about two normal, so it's not so bad... Anyway, **God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	23. FAKE

Recappy From the Last Chappy: For a heartless girl, she was rather touched.

She closed her eyes and thought, _But the longer I'm with him, the more it seems like I **do** have a heart. I keep feeling. Is it his power as the Keybearer, like he's unlocked some sort of connection with my heart, wherever it may be? Or is it something else?_

She opened her eyes a little and gazed at the tools. It felt like she was receiving a gift for the first time—and in a way, it was. She had never received something like this—especially from an adult—seemingly for no particular reason. The ship was a necessity for her and her fellow travelers, but the tools were not—sheer thoughtfulness.

_A Keybearer's connection with my heart, or something else, these emotions seem to grow each day._

**Chapter Twenty-three: FAKE**

The teen boy watched with a passively inquisitive gaze as tears rolled down his companion's face in her sleep. She had her eyes shut tightly and laid on her side, holding herself tightly. Her long, rounded and twisted locks spilled onto the pillow; her bangs, which arched into her face, stuck to her jaw, chin, and neck due to sweat. Her body was uncovered by sheets, but clad in attire normally worn during the day.

Her arms crossed over the sleeveless mint hoodie that covered down to a little passed her ribcage; a silver circle with a white cloud inside was on her right breast. Black fishnet covered her midriff. Her fingers dug into baggy white arm warmers that had the holes lined with blue; they were worn on her upper arm and the lower end was fastened just passed her elbows. Her dark blue caprice-covered knees crossed over each other and bent up toward her chest. A Konoha headband was wrapped around her left thigh whereas her right had a shuriken holster strapped to it.

"Sasuke. . . . Please, stay with me," she desperately whispered. "N-no . . . please . . . I love you—I _need_ you. . . ." Her voice shook and cracked while her breathing steadily became more accented.

The boy walked around the bed toward her other side. He was dressed in black caprice and a high-collared, sleeveless, grey midriff shirt. A black jacket with one short sleeve, one long sleeve, and red tabs on the shoulders also left his midriff bare. He was donned in full typical ninja attire as well as a one-shouldered backpack and a tipless tanto. A black Konoha headband hardly disturbed his short, ink black hair.

His eyes, too, were like soulless ink markings on a face crafted from porcelain; he was as pale as paper, and his lips were as defined as a Greek statue. When he approached the side of the bed on which the girl slept, he hovered over her with the intention of nudging her awake. The gloves on his hands were missing the thumb and forefinger.

Before he touched her, the girl suddenly sat up and grabbed him, placing her forehead against his chest. "Sasuke—don't go!"

The boy remained still, expressing some surprise. ". . . ."

The girl slowly loosened her grip on him and pulled away a little. Pearlescent byakugan eyes scanned the dark room as their owner drifted from dream to reality. Her visage deepened to a crimson color as she looked up at his face. "Sai."

"Good morning," the boy named Sai responded. He wore a smile that was as fabricated as it was transparent; no one would have trouble seeing that it was fake. "Krystal."

The "smile" was reflected in the irises and hidden pupils of Krystal's widened eyes. A lingering tear stained her cheek past her parted lips; she made no effort to respond. She gazed at his countenance and replaced certain features within her mind. His hairstyle changed to include long bangs and cockatoo-like spikes in the back, and his smile became warmer, more sincere. Very minute changes were made to the actual features of his face.

Krystal loosened the grip her trembling hands had on his arms and released him. _Sai . . . your face looks so much like Sa__—_ She pursed her lips and turned away. _Uchiha's. . . ._ Despondently she drew her knees up to her chest and brushed away the unconscious tears, feeling her heart sink.

Sai seemed not to recognize her pall, completely unfazed. He continued wearing his fabricated grin. "There's a tournament being held on this world today. Participants must be in teams of two or more. I intend to enter, so I need you."

She did not acknowledge him right away. One could not be sure whether or not she was simply not answering or if she was thinking it over. Since her expression had not changed, and she stared into space, it was possible she had not heard his request.

Soon, she sighed. "Whatever. . . ."

**

* * *

**

_When my brother and I had lived under the same roof, before the fall of our world, it seemed that no matter how many times I cleaned our small apartment, Naruto always managed to make it dirty again__—__especially his room. Scrolls, training dummies, and prank materials__—__eventually, I'd given up trying to keep his space tidy._

_Since staying at Disney Castle, I never really had to concern myself with it. The magic brooms took care of most of the cleaning, and areas I took responsibility for__—__like my room and the Gummi Garage__—__were a cinch to keep clean since I shared it with no one._

_Being in the Gummi was a lot like being home in the Land of Shuriken and Kunai. I had found some roommates that were just as messy, if not messier, than my brother._

Sand from Agrabah was visible in the Gummi's carpet; the thread's hue was much duller than it had been before departure from Disney Castle. Random bits of trash had accumulated around the edges of furniture, especially behind. Leaves from the trees of Deep Jungle seemed to be among them.

The kitchen was worse. In addition to the aforementioned clutter that permeated from the cockpit area, crumbs and drips from previous meals littered the white tile. Filthy dishes created a mountain whose base was founded in both sides of the sink. Before she had been bedridden she knew the Gummi would need some cleaning, but it had been nowhere _near_ this bad.

Her fingers drummed the outside of the doorframe and she frowned. Prying the sole of her shoe from the sticky floor, she moved toward the sleeping quarters in the back of the Gummi. As it was in this area that she had changed from Sora's jacket into her normal attire, its "pigsty" characteristics had caught her eye first, thus she gave it no glance. She headed straight to the closet and slid the door open. What remained of her personal effects after their crash in Deep Jungle was stored there.

She pulled off a hanger the yellow, buff-lined apron she wore around her waist when working in the Gummi Garage. She reached into the slanted red pocket, which was decorated by a pink King Mickey silhouette within a yellow gear, and pulled out a pair of brown gloves and a red bandana. While applying them to her person, she wordlessly walked toward and through the cockpit.

She was a woman on a mission.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all preoccupied with other activities like reading manga and/or dozing in their seats. The kunoichi planted herself into the pilot's seat. As she pulled the lap belt over her and buckled herself in, she asked, "Chip, Dale. Any events going on in previous worlds?"

Chip, the Chipmunk with the "chocolate chip nose," regarded the navigation information. "The Coliseum's holding a tournament for the first time since it was destroyed the last time you were there."

"I hear there's a great prize for the winner!"

"Perfect," Hikari replied. She lowered her voice and touched the screen, dragging a blue circle from their current location (Traverse Town) to their destination (Olympus Coliseum.) The circle was green. "You two might want to hold onto something. I don't know exactly how this will turn out." Her fingers glided over a few more buttons and the circle changed color to purple. A red button lit up, and her hand hovered above it.

The Chipmunks' eyes widened and they held each other.

". . . ." Flippantly she shrugged a shoulder and pressed the button.

Bright violet light spilled into the senses, and all over her body she felt as if she were painlessly being dissolved. Much like how foot felt when it "fell asleep," her entire body tingled with "pins and needles." Because of the abrupt burst, Sora yelled, Goofy released an "A-hyuck" that extended into a sound similar to a donkey, and Donald squawked.

Hikari had to blink away all the spots of color that lingered when the light cleared itself; Olympus Coliseum was visible through the windshield. The tingling had a lasting effect that kept her in her chair for a few moments as she flapped her hands and surveyed the meters on the dash. _Took up about a quarter of the fuel tank. . . . Hmm._

Sora stood up from his chair and swayed a little, feeling "pins and needles" from his hip to his toes. He was able to take about two steps—which were as graceful as a robot with rusted joints and hinges—before he stumbled and grabbed the back of Hikari's chair for support. "Whoa!" He used his arms to pull his shoulders over the top and regard the windshield.

"The Coliseum?" inquired the brunette. "Why did you bring us here?" He used his arms to bring up his body and straighten himself a little. "And . . . _how_ did you get us here?"

The kunoichi took hold of the steers when most of the "pins and needles" feeling had been shaken out of her hands. "Cid installed a Warp feature into the Gummi while he was repairing it; I tested it out. Sakura gave me the okay to leave Traverse Town and pilot the Gummi—but not fight, which is what a lot of this mission consists of. If we went to a new world, I wouldn't be able to protect myself against the Heartless." Her lip curled slyly. "I'm not just going to rely on you three."

"Wak!" protested the duck. "We could protect you. We're strong enough!"

"If we're gonna just wait around for you to recover," Goofy asked, "why didn't we stay in Traverse Town?"

The Gummi was being landed outside the Coliseum Gates. "There's a tournament happening now. I thought you guys could enter."

When the Gummi settled was about the same time as when everyone recovered from Warping. Donald stood and crossed his arms, thoughtfully tilting his head. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Huh . . . that's actually pretty considerate."

Jiminy was standing on the dash, tickled pink; he gushed, "I know! I think she's finally gaining a conscience!"

Hikari frowned and rose. "I confess. Me being nice was only a casualty. The truth is, I need to get rid of you guys for awhi—!" Near the Gummi's exit, she slipped on a banana peel and fell on her derriere; her eyes narrowed.

Next the boys knew they were being ushered outside the Gummi rather aggressively. She directed them out onto the dirt while she stopped in the doorway and rested her hands on her hips. Her voice was raised, but not in a yell. She sounded more like she was projected her voice from on-stage to the back row of a large theatre, though her tone was one of irritation.

"This Gummi is a pigsty! I don't know how you guys let it get like this while I was out—or where that banana peel came from! But I need you guys out of the way while I clean this place up. Somehow I found the only three guys in the world who are messier roommates than my brother. . . ."

"Oh, so that's why you're dressed like that!"

"Yes, Goofy." The girl reached into her kunai pouch and procured the entry pass they had obtained from Hades the last time they had been there. "See if this is still valid. If not—tough. Occupy yourselves somehow. . . . I just need you out of my way for a few hours."

Sora laced his fingers behind his head while Donald stepped forward to receive the pass. "You got it, Hiki. We'll be back later." _Hehe . . . score! At least I don't have to do it._ "Jiminy, you comin' along?"

The cricket hopped up onto Hikari's shoulder. "Gee, I don't know, fellahs. I'm a little behind on my journal, so maybe I should stay here and update it. That's my role as a Royal Chronicler, after all."

"Oh yeah . . . well, we'll tell you if anything happens—"

"Yuffie, no!" a familiar voice (belonging to Leon) called, cutting the Keybearer off. "You can't turn that girl in for points!"

The boys all turned to see the ensuing ruckus and Hikari diverted her attention as well. Yuffie skipped through the sand with a female adolescent—later revealed to be Krystal—slung over her shoulder. The dark-haired, light-eyed youth had her wrists and ankles bound; she appeared to be wrestling the gag from her mouth. Leon and Cloud were a small distance behind.

The blonde raised his voice, yet remained cool. "The tournament preliminaries are about crystals, not townsfolk!"

The ninja yelled over her shoulder and crossed through the Coliseum Gates. "But her _name's_ Crystal—maybe she's worth something!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy started chasing alongside Cloud and Leon. Hikari stayed back in the doorway of the vehicle and watched. Aloud, and with her forehead in her hand, she wondered, "Where does she get her logic . . . ?"

Eventually, Yuffie's captive managed to remove her gag. Her face was scarlet with rage, frustration, and humiliation. "What planet are you from where kidnapping like this is okay!" she shouted. "Stupid, it doesn't work that way!" She struggled further. "Ugh—besides, my name starts with a K, not a C! I'm Krystal with a K!"

The captor of "Krystal with a K" froze and tilted her head inquiringly. "Oh, really? Then you're not the right 'Crystal'—your name's not spelled right!" Without a second thought or consideration, she dropped Krystal from her shoulder.

The kunoichi's feet touched the ground, but because her ankles were bound, she had poor balance, and fell painfully onto her rump. "Ouch!"

Hikari watched as the Coliseum Gates closed behind Cloud, Leon, Sora, Donald, and Goofy; for moments she stared with calculating eyes. She realized she recognized that girl. _Her name is Krystal, she said. . . . Her eye color, and the Leaf forehead protector suggest she's a Hyuuga._ Her brow furrowed a little. _Krystal Hyuuga is. . . ._

Jiminy shifted with regret on her shoulder. "Oh, maybe I should've gone with them after all!"

She shook the remembrance from her head and replied, "Well, they did say that they would fill you in on what goes on. You probably aren't missing much." She turned around and reentered the Gummi. "You should probably catch up before you try to add new information anyway, isn't that right?"

"Oh, I suppose you're right. . . ."

Sai peeked from behind one of the rocks that bordered the top of the mountain and stared into the Gummi emotionless eyes. He could see through the opening as Hikari picked up some cleaning materials; his eyes were regarding and studying her countenance.

**

* * *

**

Yuffie untied Krystal's wrists as she sheepishly grinned. "Sorry about that. I really thought you'd be worth a lot of points!" She giggled. "But of course, it's not like we can't rack up a bunch of points without you!"

When her wrists were untied, she leaned forward to unbind her ankles. She had to rotate her wrists a few times to loosen and comfort them. "It's not a big deal, I guess. Now that I think about it, I know a friend who'da tried the same thing—forget that my name's Krystal with a K or not."

Sora offered her a hand when she finished unbinding her ankles and she took it. He helped her stand and she proceeded to dust off her navy blue caprice. "Well, Krystal, I'm Sora," the brunette said, pointing at himself. Then he proceeded to point at everyone else in turn. "This is Goofy, Donald, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, Jiminy, and. . . ." Pointing into space, where he expected a body, the brunette began looking around for Hikari. "OH! Right, Hiki stayed behind in the Gummi . . . you can meet her later."

The long-haired kunoichi reacted to the name. "Ah. . . . 'Hiki'? Do you mean . . . Hikari Uzumaki?"

"Ya know her?" Goofy asked.

She nodded. "We were friends. Well—almost. We were in the same class at the Ninja Academy, and I hung around with her brother a lot when we were growing up."

She looked away and scratched her temple. "Actually, I remember playing with her one time when we were kids. We were having a great time, but then my mom showed up and freaked . . . called her 'flith' and dragged me away, ordering me never to play with her or Naruto ever again. It was _so_ embarrassing. . . ."

Noticing how terrible her part in this could have been construed, she added with a note of alarm, "But that's not what stopped us from becoming friends! I was ready to disobey my mom. I'd no problem with it." She somberly averted her gaze. "It was just that . . . that night, Hikari ran away from home, and left the village."

Sora's eyes widened a little bit. He remembered a conversation he and Hikari had had when they were en route from Deep Jungle to Agrabah. She had mentioned that, as a child, much of her village had exhibited hatred toward her to the point that when someone extended the hand of friendship, she had not recognized it. The notion had impacted him then, and it impacted him a little more profoundly now. The example gave a little shape to the "hatred," and how much it had affected her.

_She left because it was so bad and she was hurt so much,_ he realized_. __No wonder she had trouble seeing we were her friends. . . . Maybe . . . because of what happened with Krystal, that's the reason why she doesn't trust us all the way._

"She was missing for a few years, can't remember exactly how many. Naruto was very sad, and even lonelier than before. When she came back, she told nobody anything about what she was up to while she was gone. Not even Naruto. . . ."

Yuffie scratched the back of her head and shifted in discomfort. "Ouch, that's rough." Her eyes glanced toward the Coliseum Gates and held some sympathy. "Hiki's not really the social type—kinda like our Squall, here—," Leon grimaced a little, "—but it's not like she's a bad person or anything. Why was she treated that way?"

Krystal's eyes widened a little bit and she averted them. "O-oh, um. . . . D-don't know, really. The adults kept it a big secret. Some of them'd be whispering sometimes, and looking at them, but I never actually heard what they said.

"Anyway—," she looked around wildly whilst conjuring a subject change, "—uh . . . s-so you guys are entering the tournament, too?"

Sora grinned and closed his hands to his chest. "Wouldn't miss it!" he said, looking at her. He was concerned about Hikari, but he did remember that he had a promise to keep, and that he had to smile. He would probably ask her about it later.

The self-proclaimed "great ninja Yuffie" hopped in front of Cloud and Leon; proudly she stood with her legs apart and her hands on her hips. "Well, you're looking at the squad that's gonna win this thing! The best of the best: Team Yuffie!" She pulled out a large fuuma shuriken and held it in front of her. Behind her, Leon held his Gunblade over his shoulder and Cloud had his hand on the handle of his bandaged Buster Sword, which touched his back.

Krystal gazed at the shuriken the ninja held with hardened eyes. She remembered a similar type of shuriken being held in the pallid, callused hand of Sasuke as he held it in front of his face; the Demon Wind Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows.

She shook the memory from her head. _Stop it. Stop linking everything to him._

Donald was unimpressed; he had his arms crossed and raised a skeptic's brow. "You couldn't come up with a better name than that?"

Yuffie lowered her shuriken to her side and huffed, "Hey! Don't be jealous 'cause you don't have the coolness to be a part of Team Yuffie! We are awesome, super, and sexy!" She pointed at them accusingly. "You guys are just jealous. JEALOUS!"

Coolly, Cloud asked, "What are you guys called?"

"Uh . . . um. . . ." Donald looked down and tried to think, rubbing his temple.

Withal, Goofy seemed to already have an idea in mind, and put his hands on the Keybearer's shoulders. "Team Sora!"

"What!" Donald exclaimed in outrage; he levitated three feet from the ground. "What kind of name is that!"

Goofy let go of Sora and regarded the duck. "But Donald, the King wanted us to support the Key, and that's Sora. Why shouldn't we use his name?"

The duck crossed his arms and scowled, but he was not completely silenced. Grumbles of reluctant concession leaked from his bill and were indecipherable due to the scratchy quack in his voice.

Sora smiled and laced his fingers behind his head. He shifted his weight to one leg and casually bent the other back, touching his toe to the ground. "So, it's settled then. Team Sora." He swayed a little. "By the way, what's with the crystals?"

Leon spoke up. "They're what you need to qualify if you don't have an entry pass for the tournament—a preliminary point system, if you will. Passes have to be renewed annually, and ours expired last month. Throughout the town are hidden crystals, a lot of them with challenges or Heartless to defeat if you want to obtain them. Each team needs fifty points. . . ."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two crystals. "The blue ones are worth one point, and are easy to get, while red ones are worth three." He put them away. "Some obstacles have multiple crystals, so they can add up quickly. You can also attack other teams and steal theirs." Indicating Yuffie, he added "That last one's a specialty of hers."

Cloud reacted, as if remembering something, and reached into his pocket. From it he picked up many blue and red crystals, which he renounced to Krystal. "These are yours. Yuffie had them."

Krystal received them. "When did you—?"

"Hey!" barked Yuffie as she patted down her pockets. "What gives? I got us extra! Since we couldn't use her for points, I thought the least we could do is steal her crystals!" Touching her fists to her hips, she scowled at Cloud, "And when did you take them from me!"

"Doesn't matter. We have more than enough points; not interested in grabbing more," the blonde coolly retorted. "The least I could do, seeing as you kidnapped her."

"Yeah, well. . . . We're still gonna win this thing!" Greed became evident in her eyes, and she rubbed her hands together. "I want that Gravity materia—!" She raised a brow. "Wait . . . what's that 'materia' stuff? Must've had some kind of _weird_ outer-body experience or something. I meant Gravity Spell!"

"A Spell?" inquired Krystal. Thoughtfully she cupped her right cheek with one hand and rested the other on her hip. "How weird. . . . Why'd Sai want to enter a tournament like this when he can't even use the prize? What's the point?"

Spells were little spheres that granted one the ability to use a certain spell of magic but did not provide the knowledge of how. On their own, the user would have to calibrate the amount of energy exerted into each spell until they correctly managed it; somewhat similar to how many ninja could be told what hand signs to use to create a jutsu, but on their own they would have to gauge the amount of chakra to draw from themselves.

Just like how many people that were not from the Land of Shuriken and Kunai were sans the chakra required to be manipulated into a jutsu, former inhabitants of that world did not possess the Magic necessary per Spell-casting. Therefore, it made no sense to her that Sai would want to compete for a Gravity Spell.

However, she was not one for flaunting her ninja art, and from a young age she had expressed little to no interest in the Ninja Way. She had fought her mother tooth and nail when prompted to begin attending the Ninja Academy and training in the byakugan. If the truth were to be told, she had no interest in this tournament either. She had entered simply because Sai had asked her to be his partner and she had been a little too down in the dumps to refuse him—or care that she was not.

Sora raised his fist and held onto his bicep. "Maybe he just likes competition."

"Maybe. . . ."

"Speaking of which," Leon began, "there's a time limit to the preliminaries, so if you want to enter the tournament, you better get going. I think it'll be over soon. Unless you have an entry pass."

"Oh! Yeah, we do—from the last time we came here," the brunette boy explained. He regarded Donald, who handed the pass to him. "See?"

Team Yuffie nodded and, with Team Sora, headed toward the Lobby, their crystals in hand. Krystal stayed behind, explaining that she had to find her teammate.

**

* * *

**

Sai stood now right outside the Gummi ship and stared whilst also mulling over the observations he had mentally tabulated when watching Hikari with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He had studied her the entire time, and had caught casual glimpses of her while she was too busy cleaning to notice. He had begun with her face.

He was one with an eye for detail both as a shinobi and as an artist, and utilized these traits to examine hers. The diminutive changes in her expression as she went about her business where indeed minuscule. To an untrained eye her expression would have appeared very still, but since he was looking for them, he took note of these microscopic changes.

His thoughts lowered to her chest and he lifted his hand to his heart. He could sense her light, as minuscule as it was, and the dash of darkness accompanying it—they were in such tiny concentrations when compared to others. Some people seemed radiant with their light, others seemed darkly insipid; either way, it was much more apparent. In her, he was unsure which was dominant, but she was much less obvious.

He knew it was no error of his, either. While her light and dark were faint, he could sense her great abundance of chakra rather simply.

He looked away from her, toward the ground, and closed his eyes. When he tried seeing into his own heart, he sensed neither light nor dark. He was blinded by a blanket of nothing.

Hikari walked in the vision of the doorway with a bucket and a brush in hand. She leaned down a little, as she was about to lower herself to the ground and scrub the floor, when she noticed Sai out of her peripheral vision. ". . . ?" She set down the bucket and dropped the brush in it; she walked to the doorway.

Resting a hand on the frame, she asked, "Something I can help you with?"

Sai plastered a smile on his face and lowered his hand. "I'm not sure. Actually, I noticed that the faces you make are more convincing than mine. But they aren't wholly real, are they?"

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Hmm?"

"Your expressions. When I think of how other people's faces look, and how I make expressions—in comparison to you, you're near the middle. Almost like they are . . . oh, what's the term . . . ?" He smiled. "'Half-hearted'?"

Hesitant, she paused for a few moments before answering him, and frowned. She had begun this journey heartless, bearing no veritable sentiment. Since meeting Sora, however, she seemed to experience some authentic emotions. It was her belief that his being the wielder of the Keyblade explained this; somehow, he had unlocked a connection between her and her heart, wherever it was.

She placed her hand over where her heart would be and shifted her gaze to the side. _I guess it sort of is like I only have half a heart, huh?_

The insight warranted some distrust in her; as did the insincerity of his smile, which she saw through her bangs. There was no question that it was totally fake, which gave him a rather eerie disposition. Annex the almost clairvoyant understanding, and any normal person would have been on the attack.

But Hikari was not normal—she was "half-hearted."

She remembered he had placed normal people on one end of the spectrum of emotion and himself on the other end by saying her half-hearted expressions were more convincing than his; she wondered to what extent his smiles were fabricated, truly.

"Half-hearted . . . maybe that is the case," she responded while lowering her hand. "But your expressions aren't convincing at all." Raising an inquiring brow, she tapped her forehead. "Pretty weird for a Konoha ninja, not to know a smile well. Otherwise your mask wouldn't be so transparent. Why kid everyone?"

"A smile can get you out of a tough situation, even if it is fake," he replied. The way he spoke sounded almost like he was reciting something from a book, and the fact that his expression remained the same seemed to be further testament of this.

Hikari was skeptical. "With a smile like that, I wouldn't count on it." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiminy hop toward the ledge closest to the door so he could hear what was going on. "What do they call you, by the way?"

He paused. "Recently I was given the name of Sai. Konoha ANBU."

"Sai . . . ," she repeated; then pointed at herself. "Hikari Uzumaki. Konoha genin." While she turned around, she lifted a finger of her left hand and spoke to him over the same shoulder. "To explain a point, Sai, a word of advice:—"

He let his smile falter and attentively listened.

"If people know your smile is fake, then they know you're lying. People don't like it when they're being lied to, or mocked. . . ." She lowered her hand and faced away from him. She began walking back toward her bucket. "So don't smile for no reason unless you can pull it off or smile from the heart. Got it?"

"Yes," he replied simply while watching her kneel down. Once more he tried forming a convincing smile, "—Thank you for your time—," before he speedily dashed away, appearing to be a shadowy blur that headed toward the Coliseum.

Jiminy watched him leave, a little disappointed that he had missed everything. "What was that about?"

Removing her gloves, she set them on the seat and reached into the soapy water for the brush. She glanced toward where Sai had stood, and then proceeded to scrub. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing important."

**

* * *

**The bright rays of the late afternoon sun did not penetrate the shade of Krystal's too-long bangs, but they did gleam off the leg of the golden gladiator her back touched. She sat on the concrete slab with her sullen visage hung over her knees. Her arm rested on her lap while she fiddled with and glanced at the small rose on the silver chain around her neck.

_I could still see the red and white fan on Uchiha's back as his figure disappeared into the dark. He'd slowly faded away, and I'd slowly blacked out. The blood on my lips was my own, and I had both hands on my stomach. My eyes burned, my vision blurred, the taste on my tongue was bitter and metallic, as I released one more desperate plea for him to stay._

She moved her eyes a little while the fingertips of her free hand touched her hitaiate. _His reason for leaving . . . I can still hear those words, clear as a bell: "You're making me soft! This wouldn't have happened if I were stronger—it's because of you I'm this weak! . . . I'll never meet my ambition if I stay with you."_

Krystal's shoulder shook a little as she tightened her grip on the necklace and shut her eyes. _I'm sorry, Uchiha. . . ._

A shadowy profile loomed over her, bringing her to open her eyes and raise her head. She let go of the rose. "Oh, Sai . . . there you are. I tried lookin' for ya, but when I didn't . . . I guess I kinda gave up." She looked away in shame and sadly smiled. Sighing, she added, "Tracking: another thing I suck at."

Sai directly stood in front of the sun, thus his expressionless countenance was shadowed. Despite Hikari's advice, he smiled his fake smile and said, "That's alright."

The kunoichi lifted her head hopefully, but noticed an emptiness in his grin. She was one to be a little naïve, but not entirely easy to dupe. She did not recognize his mask to be an outright fabrication, but seemed a little dubious of its authenticity.

There was no light in her disappointed, lavender-white eyes, and her heart twisted. "I'm sorry I'm so lame. I let me guard down and got kidnapped by a magic-using kunoichi any other ninja from our world probably could've beat . . . and even after that I couldn't remember a basic Escape Jutsu . . . I'm only gonna slow you down." Her head shifted, bringing her hair to cover more of her face. "You'd've been better off picking a different partner."

The emotionless shinobi studied her pose and mentally flipped through a book he had earlier read on relationships with other people. He could remember on one of the pages a picture similar to what he regarded now. The girl in the picture appeared to sit almost precisely in the same way Krystal was, and had been provided as an example of dejection. She was curled almost into a ball, like a fetus, and she also had her arms across her, like she was trying to defend herself. She felt vulnerable.

He recalled what the text advised when seeing someone like this, as well: "When a friend is feeling down, scared, or vulnerable, one should try to console them. A warm, friendly touch on the shoulder or cupping of their arm could do the trick, but to truly break down barriers and portray benevolence (or affection even) one should try something more familiar, such as a comforting embrace. The friend will find encouragement in this simple touch, and will feel closer to you. Perhaps you can say something reassuring to further the friend's faith in you."

Did he have something reassuring to say? What she had said was true—she was a terrible ninja, though it seemed more like a lack of motivation that made her so. He was not sure he had seen her full potential. She seemed to be depressed all the time, and according to the book he read on human emotion, one of the symptoms of depression was loss of interest.

Her ability mattered naught to him anyway. He was certainly more than competent for the task set before him.

. . . . But there was a reason why he read those books.

Keeping his smile in place, he shifted a little to the side of Krystal and lowered himself to one knee. A little awkwardly, yet gently, he shifted her just enough for him to wrap his arms around her. He felt her body tense a smidgen, but she lowered her knees and seemed to give him more space. "S-sai . . . ?"

His cheek brushed the soft curls by the side of her head. "I didn't pick you because of your ability. I just need your body."

Krystal's face burned a deep, crimson hue and her eyes considerably widened. Her heartbeat fluttered. "W. . . . My . . . bo-body? Th-that's—! N-no . . . wai. . . ." She calmed herself a little and regained enough of her sense to better articulate, but the feverish tint did not recede. "Y-you don't mean it like that, do you? You just mean you needed _a_ body . . . just a person to meet the team criteria. . . ."

"Yes. I don't regret my choice."

"Ah, gotcha. . . ." The kunoichi's eyes returned to their normal state and were averted. The pink of fluster was now more of a pink of embarrassment. Tentatively, she slid her hands from between them, and returned the embrace. Her flushed cheeks became darker, and she narrowed her eyes. She had to admit: while his words were not the most comforting, something about being in his arms was rather soothing. She did not recall ever being held like this before.

She had casually hugged Naruto once or twice in the past, when they were twelve, but this was different. There was a definite dissimilarity in muscle mass that seemed to make most of the difference. Twelve-year-old Naruto had been a little squishier; fifteen-year-old Sai was harder, more tone, _stronger._ Being held instead of hugged, she could better appreciate the warmth of his body, and felt protected.

She closed her eyes and pulled him just a little closer, bringing him to open his eyes. _Just a little longer._

**

* * *

**With an exhausted sigh, Hikari plopped into her pilot's seat. Tiredly she removed her gloves and pocketed them so she could prop her head onto her bare hand. "Man, I'm beat," she muttered. "Took me all day, but it looks even cleaner than when we first took it out. Isn't that right, Jiminy?"

Said cricket hopped onto her leg with his journal in hand. "Yes. It's practically sparkling, it's so clean!"

Lazily, she slipped the cloth off her head and opened her eyes a little; she looked at his journal. "You finished the journal awhile ago, right? What do you write in there, exactly? Doesn't seem like just writing what's happened so far would put you far behind."

"Well, I also write entries for everyone we meet! Everyone has a picture and description, including us." He held the book out toward her. "Do you want to read them? It'll give you something to do while you're waiting for Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

She looked at the journal. It was very small, a size manageable for Jiminy, but she would have a difficult time handling it. It was not much larger than a quarter, orange, and if there was anything written on the cover, she could not read it. When she accepted the journal, she saw that the writing was virtually microscopic—mere scribbles to her.

Since she was too exhausted to stand, she stuck out her tongue and stretched it out toward a drawer not far from her chair. Inside, she wrapped her tongue around the handle of a magnifying glass and brought it toward her. She wiped the handle on her apron and reeled in her tongue.

With the aid of the magnifying glass, Hikari found the writing in the journal to be more legible as she flipped through. It had three main dividers, which helped keep it organized: Chronicles, People, and Heartless. She had no interest in "thus far," and merely glanced over those pages. The first entry in the section of "People" was Sora.

She stopped on his entry. On the right was a full, head-to-toe picture that portrayed him smiling directly into the camera. The left side held a description: "_A spirited youth. He was cast into an unknown world when a swarm of Heartless raided his island. He battles the Heartless_ _with a mysterious weapon called the Keyblade as he searches for his friends Kairi and Riku._"

Only mildly interested, she flipped to the next entry: Donald. Skimming his description, she skipped to hers. It was a little different from the others.

There was more than one picture for her entry, seeing as her appearance had changed since their journey had begun. The main one had her current face—grey eyes, black hair, purple markings—but there were smaller pictures pasted in with her original face (which had yellow eyes) and the face after her encounter with the Sound Four (in which she had yellow eyes and purple markings.) She noticed a small note wondering why her face changed, but no plan to inquire about it, given that a ninja from her world could change their appearance at will. The picture was also different because it, unlike the others, had her sitting in her pilot's seat, as she had not consented to a photo.

She shrugged it off. Because he did not ask or suspect, she was not going to say anything. No one else seemed to notice, so it was apparently not a big deal—especially since the changes were minuscule. They did not know the willful change in appearance was only temporary in most cases, either.

Out of curiosity she looked at her description: "_A kunoichi whose world was lost to darkness three years ago. She's been living in Disney Castle and working as a Gummi mechanic/pilot since. Now that she's traveling with the Keybearer, she's taking the chance to find her lost brother. She was cold to everybody in the beginning, but I think she's warming up to everyone. Especially Sora. (I think she's sweet on him!)_"

She blinked. _He thinks I like . . . Sora? That's crazy,_ she thought, though color flushed into her cheeks. It was true that upon meeting him she began to feel many things she had not felt in a long while—most of them affectionate—but to state that she had feelings for him would be romantic cliché. The reasons she felt—it was because he was a Keybearer, not some "love conquers all" sort of thing!

Although that was not proven.

For some reason, she was minutely alarmed. While the sensible part of her argued it was impossible and wondered how she could consider ardor per Sora when she had those dreams about Riku, another part could not help but be skeptical—this was the part of her that had wanted to give in completely to emotion.

She had not realized she had friends when she did, so how could she be so sure she was not in love? Her feelings for Sasuke had been so long ago, she could hardly remember how it felt to harbor them. And those dreams with Riku—not that she was ready to say she loved him anyway—they were simply dreams. She had no base line, or comparison. Thus far, it was apparent that others had a better understanding of her feelings as opposed to her. . . .

_What if it's not the Keyblade. . . . What if these feelings really are because "love conquers all"?_

She stared at the journal with narrowed eyes and an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She closed it and handed it back to Jiminy without a word, and pocketed the magnifying glass. _This is stupid. I don't even have a heart. Just because Jiminy says I love Sora, doesn't mean I really do. . . ._

The door to the Gummi opened and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were about to walk inside. Hikari stood sharply and regarded Sora, who was looking around with surprise.

"Whoa! It looks so much cleaner!" He met her eyes. "You did a good job, Hiki!"

Her cheeks became warmer and she looked away. "Wipe your feet and take your shoes off before you come in. It better be this clean still in the morning. . . ." Then, she calmly hastened toward the back of the Gummi.

Taken aback, the trio watched her make her exit, perplexed. Donald raised a brow. "What's with her?"

Jiminy shrugged. "Tired, I imagine. She worked on this all day with hardly any break. She must be exhausted!"

Sora was bent over, removing his shoes and looked back toward the Gummi. It had seemed to him for a moment that she had not wanted to look at him, like something about his appearance had upset her. . . . He was sure it was only his imagination, though. He turned to Jiminy instead and started filling him in on what had happened with them while he had stayed behind in the Gummi with Hikari.

**End of Chapter Twenty-three**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-four: No Heart X Half-Heart X Sealed Heart

Hades turned toward Sai and pointed at Sora. "See that kid waving the giant key all over the place? You're going to end up facing him in this thing, and when that time comes . . . ," he curled his hand into a fist as he regarded the brunette, ". . . I want you to take him out."

Krystal straightened and released the rose, quizzically regarding the both of them. "What the—? You're joking, righ—?"

"A kid? That scrawny little thing? Compared to the 'mighty' Hercules, he can't be a threat," Sai replied calmly. He was wearing his grinning mask. "Alright. So long as you keep your end of the deal, I will kill that boy and Hercules."

* * *

I like this chapter WAY more than the one preceding ^^ Firstly, I don't know how many of you have read my Sasuke story, Roses are Red, but Krystal Hyuuga is the OC from that story-it's been so long since I've written for VaB (due both to concentration on this and lack of inspiration for that) and I wanted to give a little to my RaR/VaB readers... Originally, I hadn't intended to crossover my own characters, but I decided to make a small part for her.

Now, the whole "Crystal/Krystal" thing was actually going to be chapter fifteen of the RaR rewrite, but the plot was switched out for something more exciting and different. The idea of a crystal tournament is from Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 (I think... one of the Ultimate Ninjas, definitely) and I was gonna have Naruto kidnap Krystal for points XD There are multiple reasons as to why I wanted to include this extra arc, some such as wanting to include maybe a little combat with the Final Fantasy characters, and then I came up with some actual plot points that made this arc just too irresistable-I had to include it XD

Anyway, Krystal will be playing a minor role in the series (which is kinda weird 'cause I'm used to her being the main character... I wonder if this is how Nomura and all of them felt when they were putting Cloud or Squall into Kingdom Hearts XD?) Realize that she has been adapted to this plotline, so not every detail will be the same. Stuff that happens in this fic won't always reflect what happens in RaR or VaB. But if you guys don't read those stories you don't care anyway XD

I may do a few random cameos in the future. We'll see.

Any-who, nothing else to say. **Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	24. No Heart X Half Heart X Sealed Heart

Recappy from the Last Chappy: She stared at the journal with narrowed eyes and an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She closed it and handed it back to Jiminy without a word, and pocketed the magnifying glass. _This is stupid. I don't even have a heart. Just because Jiminy says I love Sora, doesn't mean I really do. . . ._

The door to the Gummi opened and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were about to walk inside. Hikari stood sharply and regarded Sora, who was looking around with surprise.

"Whoa! It looks so much cleaner!" He met her eyes. "You did a good job, Hiki!"

Her cheeks became warmer and she looked away. "Wipe your feet and take your shoes off before you come in. It better be this clean still in the morning. . . ." Then, she calmly hastened toward the back of the Gummi.

Taken aback, the trio watched her make her exit, perplexed. Donald raised a brow. "What's with her?"

Jiminy shrugged. "Tired, I imagine. She worked on this all day with hardly any break. She must be exhausted!"

Sora was bent over, removing his shoes and looked back toward the Gummi. It had seemed to him for a moment that she had not wanted to look at him, like something about his appearance had upset her. . . . He was sure it was only his imagination, though. He turned to Jiminy instead and started filling him in on what had happened with them while he had stayed behind in the Gummi with Hikari.

**Chapter Twenty-four: No Heart X Half-Heart X Sealed Heart**

"Strongest! Kindest! Always there for the weak! And even _lady-killing good looks!_ Yes! That's what being a hero's all about!" coached Phil to the boys on the sidelines of the Arena before the start of the tournament. They were making their best "hero poses," attempting to portray all traits of a hero (although, their attempts at "lady-killing" looks simply made them appear rather dorky.) "You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doin' bad. Lucky you came to _me_ for coaching."

Sora confidently smirked and raised his arm to show off his muscles. Even when he flexed it he still had hardly anything in comparison to Riku or especially Hercules—which he noted sadly—but he was prideful nevertheless. "We've gotten a lot stronger since the last time you saw us, Phil! We trained every day, just like you told us."

"But just being _strong_ doesn't make you a hero," the satyr reminded him. He tapped Sora's chest with his finger. "It's in the heart! In order to become a hero, your heart must be strong, as well."

"What makes a strong heart?"

Hercules came up behind them. "If you have to ask, you're not a hero yet!" Although he was serious, there was a light tease in his voice. "Still . . . I'll look forward to competing against you guys. Phil speaks highly of his 'junior heroes.'"

"We'll be there," the brunette smiled.

The true hero smiled back and diverted his attention to the satyr. The pair started to drift from the trio, discussing matters that did not concern them. Sora turned around and laced his fingers behind his head. As he waited for the matches to begin, he scanned the Arena. The stands were full of spectators and combat fanatics. Their excitement could be felt in the air, and fueled his anticipation.

His eyes eventually fell on Hikari, who stood nearby. She was staring off into space, evidently distracted by something. In fact, it was possible that she was disturbed; by what he was not entirely sure. She had been acting like this since yesterday, even after she had rested (although, unbeknownst to him, she had only pretended to be asleep when he turned in; she had actually slept little.)

He followed the line of her gaze across the Arena, where Krystal was making her way to one of the areas for participants awaiting their turn. He watched her until she disappeared and regarded Hikari once more. She was looking at the ground now, fingering her chin.

Sora averted his eyes and lowered one of his hands, leaving the other to rub his scalp. He was occupied with thoughts as he dawdled toward her, and let his other hand drop. He had to think of a way to get her mind off Krystal; her past with the Hyuuga was the sole thing he could think of that would get her down like this. Talking seemed to upset her; he needed to cheer her up, or at the least distract her . . . if only for a few moments. He did not like seeing a girl so down.

Little did he know, Krystal was not the one on her mind.

When he was in front of her, he waved his hand in front of her face, bringing her to look up. As her eyes met his, color bleed into her face and one of her feet shifted back; her body did not move far back, however, and she did not step away. She crossed her arms.

"Well," he began, "lay . . . on me."

Her eyes widened a little and she blushed harder. Some heat rushed into her arms. Confused, she tried not to sound too flustered when she looked at him. She absolutely _forbade_ herself from stuttering. "Um, what . . . do you mean? Lay . . . _what_ on you?"

He grinned, not seeming to notice her discomfort. "Your 'be careful' speech. You're always telling me before battle, or in the middle of it, to be careful." He elevated a teasing brow. "Or didn't you know it?"

"Oh." She smiled wryly, looked away, and mentally sighed relief. _Phew._ "Huh. . . . Um, I guess I'm not worried. Luck looks to be a real asset of yours. Or, maybe I've accepted there's more to it." She looked at him and saw he was blushing a little; a part of her, the part that totally denied these feelings, wished there was a way to recant. _Don't blush. . . ._

Had she been thinking a little clearer, she would have realized he was being bashful—it was not very often that she complimented him; the least on his abilities. In fact, most of the time she expressed sincere doubt.

"I'd feel like a hypocrite if I said it anyway, it'd be weird. I'm more reckless than you," she added. "And unlike you, I pay for it, most of the time."

He scratched the back of his head. "I guess that's true."

Silence, of the awkward kind, fell between them.

Thankfully, it was broken quickly. Contenders of the first match were being called to the Arena, and Team Sora was one of them. The "Shadow Brothers"—a team of Solider and Shadow Heartless—were already in place. Hikari coolly wished him luck and walked over to her seat, which was in the front row. Jiminy appeared on her shoulder and cheered with the crowd as they awaited the start of the match. Hikari was silent.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all took their position at the end of the Arena opposite of the Shadow Brothers; Hikari and Jiminy were directly in line with the center. They could see Team Yuffie and more Heartless waiting on deck.

The match began.

* * *

The god of the Underworld's fiery follicles once again lightened somewhat the insipid den off to the side of the Arena. A few urns rested on the shelves, but the space was by no means bright. Most of the light came from the opening that allowed everyone within to view the match.

Hades and Sai stood in shadow, each eyeing different things. The god was regarding the match with too much interest and a great amount of apprehension whereas the shinobi was not paying attention at all. Instead, he stared at Krystal, without her knowledge, in the light.

As she was facing outward he did not well see her countenance, but it was not hard to see what type of expression she wore. She was smiling, and was certainly more involved than he had recognized her to be previously. She was not vivacious in particular, but she was definitely exhibiting more signs of life.

The first time they had met—quite recently—was the last time he had seen life in her, with the exception of when she had been kidnapped by Yuffie. She had struck his face under mistaken pretenses, believing him to be the same Sasuke she whispered of in her sleep. Only now, she was not full of anger. Nothing about her was paroxysmal; neither her expression nor her body stance.

He glanced toward the fight outside and saw Sora throw his Keyblade at the final enemy. The Keyblade spun through the air and struck, slicing through the Stealth Sneak. Then, as if by magic, it made its return to him directly, striking the chameleon-like Heartless again.

The crowd cheered excitedly (although one could see that Hikari simply smiled and clapped) as the creature dissolved into darkness and a heart was released. Sora caught his Key, twirled it, and hoisted it on his shoulder, grinning broadly.

Krystal grinned, too, and fisted one hand while the other remained on the wall.

To her right, Hades' hand also curled; however, his reaction was one of rage. The pigment of his skin reddened, and the small blue embers that had littered the curve of his neck and shoulders spread to his arms in a bright yellow flame. "That little sunspot's gotten stronger since the last time he was here! He's breezing through the Heartless like they're nothing!" He threw his arm to the side in a fit of rage, releasing a small fireball that charred the wall by Sai's head; the ninja did not react and remained calm.

Krystal eyed the God with a furrow in her brow and shied away as smoke billowing from his robe brushed against her ankles. Reflexively, her hand closed over the jeweled rose hanging around her neck. _This guy gives me the creeps. . . . Like the fact that he's got fire for hair wasn't red flag enough, he's got a temper. What business does Sai have with this guy . . . ?_ she wondered as she peeked in Sai's direction.

Muttering incoherently, Hades attempted to cool off, and swept back his "hair" while it reverted to its cerulean hue. He crossed an arm in front of him and held his chin, deliberating with himself. He still had the perfect sucker for Plan B, one bigger even than Cloud. He was already going to get rid of Hercules; the kid should be child's play. He still had his tool.

Rendered cautious by his fiery follicles and smoky wake, the kunoichi could not keep her eyes off him. She had never met him before, this "god of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead" (like she believed that) but he certainly was the peculiar sort. She did not appreciate the vibe she received from him. As for Sai—she could never tell what he was thinking.

Hades turned toward Sai and pointed at Sora. "See that kid waving the giant key all over the place? You're going to end up facing him in this thing, and when that time comes . . . ," he curled his hand into a fist as he regarded the brunette, ". . . I want you to take him out."

Krystal straightened and released the rose, quizzically regarding the both of them. "What the—? You're joking, righ—?"

"A kid? That scrawny little thing? Compared to the 'mighty' Hercules, he can't be a threat," Sai replied calmly. He was wearing his grinning mask. "Alright. So long as you keep your end of the deal, I will kill that boy and Hercules."

The kunoichi gaped; her hand slowly lowered, moving to idly hand at her side. All color seemed to flush from her face. "What . . . ?" she breathed inaudibly.

Azure lips curled into a sinister smile and parted over silver teeth. "Atta boy."

"What the hell Sai!" burst Krystal, drawing their attention. Red, in the form of rage, colored her cheeks again, and her hands were clenched fists. "This stupid tournament . . . you entered it because you've got a _target?_ When were you going to tell me about it? You didn't think that as your partner, I might want to know? That I might have a problem with it?"

"As a ninja, you shouldn't have a problem with it," he said simply, sustaining his mask. "Emotions are never to get in a shinobi's way. You were still a genin when the Land of Shuriken and Kunai fell, so it's no surprise you have no experience with missions of this magnitude. As a member of ANBU's Root, I had my own Bingo Book."

She clicked her tongue and glared at him. "_But we aren't on that world anymore._ This isn't a mission you have to take on. And you shouldn't! I know shinobi are supposed to be 'tools,' but that's just not true, especially now. We're living our own lives."

Sai hesitated (albeit invisibly) before replying. "You're certainly not a tool. To be a tool, you can't have any emotions, and you have quite a lot." He rested a hand on his hip and said a little quieter, "If I do this, then even I can experience some remorse afterwards. . . ."

". . . ?" Her glare took on a more puzzled look, but her blood continued to boil. _I have a lot of emotions? What's that supposed to mean?_ Her face reddened, and her teeth clenched. _He's either saying I'm moody . . . or weak._

She lowered her gaze and shut her eyes, tremulous and steaming. "Why are you still . . . smiling like that? Idiot. . . . You're mocking me, aren't you?" She lifted her head a little and glared from beneath the shadow of her brow and bangs. "Fine. I'm out. No way I'm gonna help you take out Sora . . . or Hercules." She turned on her heel and headed toward the exit. "Good luck continuing this thing without a partner."

Before she could leave, Hades turned toward her back and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet as black, smoky rings gagged her, wrapped around her upper and lower arms, and bound her thighs and ankles. She was made to face him.

"Whoa whoa whoa. You don't think we can just let you go now, do you? You know too much, and you're either with us—," he closed his hand, "—or against us. Can't have you going to warn the little sunspot and that infuriating Urk-ules. Nuh-uh, my friend. I've got a spot for you to waiting in the Underworld. . . ."

Her eyes widened, and sweat accumulated at the temples where a bang curled into her cheek. She struggled against her smoky bonds; she found that despite their gaseous state, they were more solid than they appeared. Also, due to their composition, they were not susceptible to loosening—no matter how much she struggled.

_It's hopeless,_ she thought as her efforts dwindled. _I can't believe this. . . . I've been caught two days in a row. . . . Stupid!_

Pearlescent, lavender-white eyes moved to the emotionless stare of the god's "tool." In them, due to their light color, he could see his own inky, soulless black eyes staring back at him. His face was like a blank canvas, and reminded one of a porcelain doll, empty and void of emotion. The only difference was, currently, that he was not trying to fake a smile.

He remained apparently unfazed as the god's long, gnarly fingers closed over his shoulder. "Hey, this doesn't change the game. You take out Hercules and the kid, I take off the seal on your heart, and you feel something—granted, that will probably be remorse—but hey, what can you do? Everybody wins."

The lids of Sai's eyes moved to block the sight of his false smile being reflected back at him. "Who is replacing my partner?"

Krystal's blood ran cold as Hades smiled evilly and pressed the tips of his fingers together. "Pain! Panic!"

Two funny-looking, demonic imps came off the wall and into the light. One was very round and had a magenta hide; he tripped as he approached his place. The other was blue, thinner, a little taller, and cautiously moved forward like a mousy fugitive. Pain was clumsy; Panic was skittish.

"Yes, your insidiousness!" Pain saluted. Understanding their cue, he and his companion both concealed themselves with smoke respective to their skin colors. Under its guise they altered their appearances; the dissipating smoke revealed a doppelganger of Krystal.

Pain/Panic (or "Krystal) struck a pose, shimmying their new curves and flipping their hair. They received no response from Sai, and Hades rolled his eyes, but Krystal could not keep herself from blushing a furious shade of red—it was embarrassing, seeing them portray her so.

Sai knew the portrayal was off the mark, but the countenance was a close copy. They definitely would not be able to duplicate her moves.

He digressed, however; he had not chosen her because of her moves. He had selected her because she was convenient, and she had said yes. He was capable of performing these tasks himself—precisely why he had not mentioned it to Krystal. He simply needed someone to call a partner.

Perhaps no one would recognize the difference.

* * *

There was a light gleam in Sai's tar black ink as it was poured from a small wooden capsule held in his hand, and it gleamed still when he jerked his hand and it splattered across the stone. The sound was like water being dumped from a bucket—or something denser, like blood.

Toward the other end of the enclosed area, Cloud swept the broad side of his sword to his side in an effort to block poorly thrown shuriken (courtesy of Pain/Panic.) He set his sights on Sai, arguably the more dangerous of the pair, and started to ignore the annoying (yet not inhibiting) ninja tools not making their mark. Irritated by their presence nevertheless, and his weakening body, an electric aura encased him, and his feet left the ground. With a yell, he glided across the Arena.

Quickly Sai procured a small scroll and partly unraveled it. Previously adorned was an ink drawing of a hawk; he held the scroll between his lips, performed a few hand signs, and the ink hawk sprung from the page to life. Cloud was homing in in the blink of an eye, but Sai managed to hop onto the black and white bird of prey and ascend beyond his reach.

In the air, he expanded the scroll and feverishly stroked his brush across the blank page. His hand was a blur, creating a myriad of lines that were forming a myriad of images. Then, he held the scroll over the side of the hawk, and every drawing sprang forth and rained toward Cloud like a waterfall of lions.

Still gliding around the Arena, yet unable to gain much altitude, the blonde avoided the initial flush of ink lions expertly. Most were destroyed upon impact as they splattered against the Arena floor, but some retained their form and began their attack. While he avoided the _Hundred Demon Night Parade,_ he would heave the Buster Sword and finish the ink lions in his path.

After dozens of lions, the torrential ink beast storm relented for a moment before executing its final blow. A large dragon surged with incredible speed and force, intercepting the blue-eyed blonde. He was consumed by the beast, and from all appearances, bitten—although due to the composition of the beast, he was probably more squeezed than punctured.

There was a great disturbance among the crowd as the dragon piled on him, the force seemingly excessive. As it crashed into the floor, its being was collapsing upon him. Eventually, all that was left was Cloud, unconscious and lying face down in a large puddle of ink.

Yuffie appeared near his body in a small puff of smoke and glanced his way. "Uh oh!" She raised the arm holding her Fuuma shuriken as if to cast Cura on him, but then raised the armored arm to guard her instead when Pain/Panic threw shuriken at her. They followed up the attack with some hand-to-hand combat, so she did not get a chance to heal him.

The "girls" exchanged blows, fluidly (or in some cases clumsily) avoiding each other's limbs. Pain/Panic made it especially important to avoid it when she would attempt slicing them with one of the shuriken's blades. Shortly after the exchange began, the Krystal-double hit beneath Yuffie's chin with their palm, thus knocking back her head. Then, they turned, lifted their leg, and kicked her with uncharacteristic force. She rolled back, heels over head, multiple times. She ended up out of bounds and on her bottom, swirls evident in her eyes.

Leon, the last man standing, was also on his last legs. Sweat dewing on his brow, the brunette sliced through some of the lingering ink lions, a task made simpler seeing as the blade of his sword had extended about three to four times its normal size and emitted a blue glow.

In wielding the Blasting Zone, as it was referred to, he felled the nearest lions and jumped to vertically strike one that charged him. The last lion, at the other end of the Arena, was vanquished by a fireball.

Visibly exerted, he was about to turn his attention to Sai in the sky when, from beneath his feet, snakes made from his ink sprouted and bound his legs. ". . . !" The snakes quickly wound up his body and brought him to his knees; they had a surprising amount of strength and tension.

He sliced the snakes he could reach with his extended blade and tried to stand, but these ink drawings apparently had regenerative capabilities. Prior to the swordsman gaining the chance to bring himself upright, the snakes were formed again. One slithered until its head came above his shoulder and opened its mouth over the curve of his neck.

The snake sank its inky teeth into him, and after a few moments, he fainted.

Sai jumped from his hawk and landed on his feet as his ink creations lost their form. Most of the crowd cheered, greatly entertained. Some, like Hikari, clapped out of courtesy; she bore no grin. On her shoulder, Jiminy was feverishly booing them in favor of Team Yuffie.

Incredulous, the Keybearer regarded the shinobi with widened eyes and an open mouth. As Cloud and Leon were being carted to the infirmary to be revived with Phoenix Down (Yuffie, having sustained no injury, simply walked alongside the cart) he whispered, "He beat Cloud AND Leon. . . ."

"Gawrsh . . . we've got one more fight against the Heartless, and then we face that guy," noted Goofy with a furrowed brow. Donald appeared to share his sentiment.

Sai continued to stand in the middle of the arena bearing no expression and turned his head in Sora's direction. The brunette narrowed his eyes a little, tried toughening his appearance when their eyes met. For a moment, everything between them was perfectly still; no sound, no exchanged words, no movement. Then, Sai plastered on his fake smile and returned to the den to await the next match; Pain/Panic followed.

Sora frowned. _Huh? What's he trying to do? Confuse me?_

"Hey!" Phil yelled, snapping the brunette from his thoughts. The stocky satyr stood by the trio with his hands on his hips. "You guys aren't going to let those two intimidate ya, are you? Two words: Confidence! Weren't you listenin' to me before? Being a hero isn't about muscle. It's also about the strength of your heart."

The Keybearer smiled. "Right. We've got this, guys. No problem."

"That's the spirit!"

Meanwhile, in the stands, Hikari regarded the scene with much boredom, lazily following Sai and "Krystal's" departure with her eyes. She did not generally care for entering a tournament, but she did wish she were well enough to be a participant in this one as opposed to simply watching.

Her chain of thought was interrupted by someone shuffling passed the front of her to the seat on the other side of the person to her right. The handsome young man was in his early to mid twenties with a charming mess of golden brown locks and spring green eyes; his tunic was white, loose, and had a deep V.

Contentedly sipping the contents of a soft drink, he regarded the Arena. The shape of the cup was similar to a blue pedestal and had a gold circle decorated with Hercules's face. _Bollocks, I've missed the entire match,_ he realized with a singe of regret. His eyes scanned the Arena idly until he saw "Krystal" disappearing into the den; he removed his mouth from the bendy straw with an audibly inquiring noise as he widened his eyes.

His companion, next to Hikari, regarded him and asked in a British accent, "What is it, Mabo?" She was a picturesque young woman with long red hair, fair skin, and emerald eyes.

"That girl who just fought in this match—comely young gixie, might I add—well . . . I do believe I saw her in the clutches of someone sinister while I was out," he explained; also with an accent (girls around them seemed to melt at the sound, not listening much to the content of his words but how they sounded.) "Rather odd fellow. . . . He looked as if his hair was comprised of blue flame, and smoke leaked from his robes."

Hikari's interest was piqued.

The redhead narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring a backwater thought of _His head was on fire, but he wasn't burned?_ "You saw a girl being hauled off by a man looking like that and didn't do anything!"

"I'd hardly label it as being 'hauled off,' love, he wasn't touching her. She was bound by black smoke rings and her body glided after him freely." He sipped his soft drink. "Moreover, naught was on purpose. . . . She was gone before I could do anything. They vanished. I would have dueled that knave in a heartbeat, had I the chance; she was a damsel in distress. However, she seems to 've eluded him just fine."

The woman made a face and crossed her arms over her black dress shirt. "This one admits . . . you have a point."

Maboroshi smiled charmingly and took hold of the red tie around her neck; he pulled it toward him and brought her face very close to his. Lathering further flowery language and piquant tongue, he seemed to almost sparkle; one almost expected roses to sprout behind him in midair. His gaze was piercing, alluring; the same gaze he had used to melt many a woman's heart.

"My, my, Miss Hayden Isabella Bos . . . I assure you, it was not my intention to upset you. She is attractive, but my heart will always belong to you, my only princess." He leaned in and brushed his lips against the lobe of her ear; he whispered, "Watashini totte hitori dakeno purinsesu. . . ."

Hayden felt chills she would never in a thousand years admit to Maboroshi she felt, especially when he was so heavily lathering his charm. She expressed great reluctance and tried to portray an immune disposition.

As coolly as she could manage, she lightly pushed him away; her countenance was a little red, but not quite comparable to her hair. "Stop using the 'swoon-the-ladies' face. You're embarrassing yourself."

Hikari ceased paying attention then. She was not so sure nothing had happened to Krystal, noting that while she appeared the same, some things had seemed off indeed. She did not well know her as an individual, but she had ascertained enough class characteristics to see.

Most of the abnormalities she had viewed were in regard to the kunoichi's taijutsu. She knew the surname of Hyuuga came with the kekkai genkai "byakugan," and that Krystal had the lavender-white eyes characteristic of this bloodline; therefore, it was safe to assume she had inherited it.

The byakugan granted its user the ability to see the chakra networks within a shinobi's body. Users with stronger eyes would be able to view the three hundred sixty-one chakra points (or tenketsu) in that system. In order to put this bloodline to good use during battle, the Hyuuga developed a technique known as the Gentle Fist. Instead of closing their hands to strike an opponent in hand-to-hand combat, they struck with their palms and fingertips, extending their own chakra into the tenketsu or chakra systems of their opponent. This would disrupt the flow of chakra, or divert it. Moreover, since the chakra network is so closely wrapped around internal organs, pressing the points would damage internal organs as well.

Arguably, the Gentle Fist was a technique superior to normal taijutsu. One could train the outside of their body to take a punch, but there was no protecting your internal organs—with the exception of all that held them in, but the Gentle Fist passed through all that.

Hikari had seen Krystal attempting to use her Gentle Fist versus Heartless (Hikari knew from personal experience it was still effective in internally damaging non-ninja opponents) in previous matches; she would occasionally deactivate her byakugan and vanquish them using fans with retractable blades (called shukusen) in reservation. So, in a match that had a considerably heightened level of difficulty, why had she not activated her byakugan once? Was this not the type of match she had been reserving her chakra for? Instead she had bumbled around throwing shuriken as poorly as a first-year Ninja Academy student and engaging in clumsy, yet almost typical, taijutsu.

_A man with blue, fiery hair. . . . The fact that he described Hades with one of the contestants can't be a good thing,_ she realized while scowling into space. _Did he hire someone in these games, too? Like Cloud? In this case, probably a team._

In order to strengthen her hunch and give herself more cause to look into this, she performed a supplementary seal and touched the byakugan summon gem, pouring a small amount of her chakra into it. Utilizing the power offered by the gem, she peered into the den and confirmed her suspicion: "Krystal" was not Krystal Hyuuga. She saw no chakra or a network—even if she had been simply an animated corpse, the network would have been visible. Magic was the energy within this subject.

She saw, too, a figure closely resembling Hades.

_This isn't right. Definitely. Hades must've hired someone . . . maybe they're the ones posing as Krystal. The real Krystal was probably taken to Hades' Domain: the Underworld. Maybe Cloud knows how to get there._ Sans a second's thought of reconsideration, she stood and left her seat, deciding to be there when Cloud woke up.

Jiminy's protests of "What? Where are you going? We'll miss everything—We can't leave now!" were ignored.

**End of Chapter Twenty-four**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-five: The Underworld

Cloud sat on the edge of a bed in the infirmary and held a heated elixir; he watched the shapeless steam rise while he swished the concoction. "Yeah, I know the place. The Underworld is where Hades is boss, and where I was briefed on my mission to kill Hercules. If everything is going on like you said, then that girl's probably being held there."

Hikari was seated on the next bed over, facing him. Jiminy was on her shoulder. "That's what I thought. I think Hades has hired someone again, which could mean trouble. Krystal might be able to point out other seeds and identify the target; there's a high probability it's Sora or Hercules, based on the last time.

"So, Cloud. You know how to get there, and how to navigate your way within. You'll take us to the Underworld to save Krystal and stop Hades."

The blonde looked up from his elixir and paused. "Not interested." He brought the translucent amber liquid to his lips and drank it down quickly. The only indication that he disliked the taste was wrinkling around his eyes since he, for the most part, kept his cool.

* * *

Holaz! So, I heart this chapter XD Mostly the title. I wanted another one that followed the format of the title of Roses are Red's "Hate Me X Fight Me X TALK to Me," so I did! Buahahaha. I ended writing Hades' proposal about four times... Took FOREVER before me or my beta-reader were fully satisfied XD Um, I don't think I have a lot to say about this chapter, really, though. Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts. Also, the jutsu Sai uses aren't ALL anime or manga canon, but I didn't make them up myself. According to Narutopedia, they are from... Ultimate Ninja 5? Dunno. Last one of those I got was four.

Anyways, I think I'll throw this out there. Any requests for Naruto character appearances? I have some already in mind, but it's good to get feedback. I may not have a planned appearance for your favorite character. If you have a suggestion for a world, I'd like to hear that, too :) I'll see if I can work them in. If you don't want to leave it in a review, go ahead and message me.

**Thanks for reading, and to my faithful reviewers! :D God bless!**


	25. The Underworld

Recappy from the Last Chappy: In order to strengthen her hunch and give herself more cause to look into this, she performed a supplementary seal and touched the byakugan summon gem, pouring a small amount of her chakra into it. Utilizing the power offered by the gem, she peered into the den and confirmed her suspicion: "Krystal" was not Krystal Hyuuga. She saw no chakra or a network—even if she had been simply an animated corpse, the network would have been visible. Magic was the energy within this subject.

She saw, too, a figure closely resembling Hades.

_This isn't right. Definitely. Hades must've hired someone . . . maybe they're the ones posing as Krystal. The real Krystal was probably taken to Hades' Domain: the Underworld. Maybe Cloud knows how to get there._ Sans a second's thought of reconsideration, she stood and left her seat, deciding to be there when Cloud woke up.

Jiminy's protests of "What? Where are you going? We'll miss everything—We can't leave now!" were ignored.

**Chapter Twenty-five: The Underworld**

Hinata, in a state of unconsciousness, laid curled up on her side in the center of Villain's Vale on a round table. The glow of the orb atop Maleficent's scepter cast itself upon her, scanning her person. The table itself was dimly lit, shedding only enough light for the dark fairy and Akatsuki leader to be visible.

Maleficent withdrew her scepter and gazed into its head. Gingerly she cupped the opposite side of it, allowed the tips of her scarlet nails to touch its glass surface. She grimaced. "This girl . . . is not one of whom we seek. Although it is minute, there is a small bud of darkness deep within her heart; it is inundated by the intensity of her light." In a harsher tone, she glanced at Pain and set down her staff. "That is why you_ failed_ to see it."

Speaking authoritatively, yet calmly, Pain said, "I encourage you to revise your tone. It sets a bad example for the children if Mom and Dad fight. The path toward our goals coincide . . . there should be better relations between our factions."

Her yellow eyes widened in outrage. "You dare to lecture me? I began this operation ten years prior to now, and captured half of the current maidens in our possession—all of which have the pure hearts of light sought! I have made no mistakes; I won't tolerate failure!"

Pain stared back at her with a still gaze. "You had to look a second time at this girl's heart to come to this conclusion. If you knew all the identities of the nine maidens, then you would have known at first glance she was not one."

She glared back at him and clicked her tongue. The dark fairy glanced at the shadows, or "children;" they were whispering to each other, possibly getting a kick out her being reprimanded. Her eyes narrowed. "Silence!" _Insolence._

Regarding Hinata once more, she tilted her staff minutely forward. "A waste of time, but she is of no consequence to us." Her scepter glowed a little and a portal opened underneath the girl; dark tendrils curled around her arms and body, pulling her in. "Let the Heartless have her."

* * *

Cloud sat on the edge of a bed in the infirmary and held a heated elixir; he watched the shapeless steam rise while he swished the concoction. "Yeah, I know the place. The Underworld is where Hades is boss, and where I was briefed on my mission to kill Hercules. If everything is going on like you said, then that girl's probably being held there."

Hikari was seated on the next bed over, facing him. Jiminy was on her shoulder. "That's what I thought. I think Hades has hired someone again, which could mean trouble. Krystal might be able to point out other seeds and identify the target; there's a high probability it's Sora or Hercules, based on the last time.

"So, Cloud. You know how to get there, and how to navigate your way within. You'll take us to the Underworld to save Krystal and stop Hades."

The blonde looked up from his elixir and paused. "Not interested." He brought the translucent amber liquid to his lips and drank it down quickly. The only indication that he disliked the taste was wrinkling around his eyes since he, for the most part, kept his cool.

Her brow tightened. "'Not interested'? I'd think you'd have a score to settle with Hades after what he pulled last time. He dangled a bit of hope in front of you and baited you into helping. You said you were looking for someone, weren't you? Hades'd promised to help. But instead, he double-crossed you by neglecting to mention his three-headed canine. Don't you want to get back at him, have some kind of revenge?"

"Not interested in revenge."

"Mm. Hn." She gave a light, amused smile. "Guess that would be kind of ironic. To search for your light and yet take vengeance, when that breeds darkness."

She glanced toward Leon and Yuffie; the former stared at a cup of elixir like a child would narrow their eyes at broccoli. Yuffie, having already spazzed after consuming hers, stood by with her hands on her hips as she waited for him to brace himself. Shortly, she was tapping her foot impatiently. Eventually, when she ran out of patience, she took the elixir from his hands, pinched his nose, and forced him to drink. "Don't be such a baby, Squall!"

Hikari watched him struggle a little. "You act like you don't care, but I think you do. Otherwise, I don't think you would've saved me from Cerberus last time. If it'll make you feel better, though, you'll be compensated. Whatever you want, within reason, we'll figure it out later. Agreed?"

". . . ." He did not appear to have appreciation for her observation. Nevertheless, he answered, "The Underworld is meant for the dead and he lords over them. Heartless bred of darkness aren't affected either. But someone living, like you or me—," Leon and Yuffie provided him with their full attention at this point, "—will soon find their strength being sapped. Unless you have the Olympus Stone."

"Olympus Stone?" inquired Yuffie, her interest piqued. She released Leon and regarded the blonde with sparkling eyes. "Is it a shiny stone? Y'know, like the valuable kind?"

"It's a stone that alleviates the curse of the Underworld. Don't get any bright ideas though. It's on Mount Olympus, the domain of the gods. Only celestial beings can pass through the golden gates." Yuffie deflated. "It won't kill us, but it will make it harder to fight the Underworld's guardian: Cerberus." He looked at Hikari. "Your body will be strained even if you don't fight, most likely."

She stared back at him. "Don't worry about me. I feel fine."

Leon's brow furrowed in thought. "'Cerberus.' . . . Isn't that the name of the three-headed dog that destroyed the Coliseum? I remember Sora, Donald, and Goofy bragging to me about how they defeated it." His leather fingertips touched his chin. "Being Guardian of the Underworld, it's possible it was immortal to begin with, or technically being dead already, it'd stay there anyway."

"Don't know. But if not Cerberus then there could be something nastier in his place." He stood and rotated his shoulders and such, feeling the elixir take effect. "Maybe there will only be Heartless."

"So we need to go about this as quickly and as covertly as possible, is what you're saying?" Hikari asked.

"I don't know about covertly. I only went to the Underworld a few times, and always through the Cave of Dead entrance in front," he answered. "But we'll go prepared, and you'll at least know a fraction about what you're up against. Take a lot of items."

* * *

The Underworld was an insipid place, and reminded one of a swamp or bog at the time of night; there was no mud, yet the scene was just as miserable. Cloud led the team onto solid, black stone ground. He and Leon scanned the area for threats whereas Hikari and Yuffie more allowed their eyes to wander.

They stepped casually, but cautiously, toward the center of the path. Lining the path was a river of souls, colored seemingly of aqua green water and swimming with the dearly departed. There was a fork before them leading toward two separate entrances.

Yuffie shivered and rubbed her arms. "Lameness!" she huffed under visible breath. "I'm cold. . . . Shouldn't it be warmer closer to the core?"

Hikari gazed at lighted white orbs sprinkled randomly throughout the area. Each glowed unnervingly with a light that seemed to be a pure white color. When her breath would touch it, they appeared to mingle. She was reminded of fireflies, except these where considerably larger, about the size of a baseball.

Raising a curious hand, she gently reached toward an orb. The pad of her finger barely brushed against the "giant firefly" when its delicate form collapsed. Smoky wisps curled around her wrist and arm and a small, crystal clear orb was absorbed through her pores. "Ah!"

Cloud stood by her, regarding others like it. "They're souls. Touch them, and they lose form, but they're already dead, so you can't destroy them completely. It will eventually regroup." He continued toward the door down the right path of the fork. The subtle motion of his cape touched some of the souls on his exit, causing them to collapse. "Let's go."

The quartet approached the giant door; it was opened by Cloud and Leon. Both men gripped either door by sliding their fingers into the zig-zagging crack down the middle. They grunted with effort and slowly heaved the stone slabs apart. The Cave of Dead was beyond.

Cloud stood between them and the cave. "Once you step through these doors, you'll start to feel full brunt of the Underworld curse. Your body will feel heavier, like you're carrying extra weight. Even after a while of only walking, you'll feel like you've just fought a hundred Heartless. So we've got to get in, get Krystal, and get out as quickly as possible. She'll probably be in his chambers, which is deep inside. Brace yourself."

With that, he entered the Cave of Dead.

Yuffie came up near Leon with her arms crossed and a big grin on her face. "He's even broodier than you! Not a bad lookin' guy, either." She clapped his shoulder. "AND he's not that shabby of a leader." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath through her nose. "I think I smell a rivalry! Huh, Squall?"

He scowled at her. ". . . ." Shrugging from her hand, he crossed his arms and turned away. ". . . Whatever." Behind Hikari, he passed through the Cave's threshold. Yuffie chuckled and followed.

* * *

Seconds after Hikari stepped over the threshold, she felt her strength and her chakra steadily being sapped from her body; the feeling had become all too familiar during her encounter in Deep Jungle with the Sound Four. The Underworld Curse seemed to bear more manners, slowly draining her chakra as if through a straw whereas Jirobou had gorged himself.

Compared to what Jirobou had done, the curse was mildly discomforting. Uzumaki had extensive reserves of chakra to begin with, and if it came to it, she could release the mark a little. But ONLY if she needed to. Since the curse took so little at a time, it was unlikely.

The saying was "fight fire with fire;" would it not stand to reason that, if the situation called for it, she should fight a curse with a curse?

The rest seemed about as affected as she. Cloud began to lead the way toward a tunnel on the opposite side of the room. There were souls aplenty—more than had been evident outside the cave—so he disturbed many in his wake. Hikari poked and absorbed the clear orbs he did not, if she did not have to go out of her way to do so.

"Are you sure you should be picking those things up?" Jiminy asked from her shoulder. He was regarding the souls with larger eyes than normal, and was half-hidden by her hair. Since he was so far in her peripheral, she could not be sure if he was trembling.

"They're harmless. If anything, they restore a little energy. Don't worry, Cricket." She turned her head a smidgen without knocking him off. "And morality-wise, they are dead, and probably should be respected, but it's close to impossible to dodge all of these. To try would take too much energy, and that, coupled with the Underworld curse, would wear us out too much before we could get Krystal out of here. Then we never confirm what's going on, and something bad happens." She poked another sphere. "Besides, I'm just picking up what's left behind."

"Yes, well, I suppose you're right . . . ," the cricket said in a small voice, obviously still shaken from the fact that they were in the world of the dead. Some people were spooked by stuff like that; her brother was one of them, had worried about monsters under his bed and in his closet up until he was eleven. Hikari was not one of them.

She continued poking the translucent orbs for no reason that was particular while they crossed into the tunnel and missed one that drifted to her forehead. She felt a little childish, like she was playing with bubbles. The ones she was picking up she would even if she were not poking; something was amusing about the motion.

_A while ago, I wouldn't even have bothered. Being half-hearted, I guess I'm being a little sillier when I should be serious,_ the kunoichi thought as she poked one more sphere. She let her hand hover for a moment as she stared at the rose-tinted Inferno Band with her dark grey eyes once glowing yellow, the eyes with which she saw after her palm met the one which would hold the Keyblade. Her eyes. Her _true_ eyes.

Narrowing her eyes a little, she took her other hand and covered the bracelet, withdrawing her arm a little. She did not pay mind to the few souls and orbs that broke against her and were absorbed through her pores. A little quieter than conversationally, she asked, "Jiminy . . . what do you know about love?"

"Love?" he questioned. He sat on her shoulder and held his chin. "Well . . . love is a funny little thing, that's also a big thing. Why, there are all kinds of love! You can love a brother, sister, father, mother, friend . . . idea, object, being. You can fall into it, head over heels or heels over head."

Sheepishly, the cricket rubbed the back of his head. "It can be as small as admiration and be as big as obsession. They say 'like' and 'admire' are the fresh buds of love, just waiting to blossom! It's helping someone through their strife—," Cloud's eyes averted, "—and being by their side, being their support. It's everyone's greatest strength. Without love . . . everyone would have a mighty tough time seeing the light."

"So people without love, do," Hikari mumbled. "That's the dark side of it, isn't that right? People who don't know love . . . love of a parent, how to love a sibling, were betrayed by someone who they thought loved them. . . . Most of them seem see darkness, lose sight of their light." _And, like me, some lose their hearts._

Sadly, Jiminy nodded. "Yes, the dark side of love is when there seems to be none, and when there is none, that's hate, love's darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, but there's no such thing as light being the absence of darkness." He lifted his head and smiled. "But people want to love and be loved, not to hate and be hated. Why, even in the deepest darkness, there's a little bit of light!"

"So they say." The kunoichi had two fingers looped inside Inferno Band and rubbed the outside with her thumb. "You're probably a believer in 'love conquers all,' then, huh?"

"Love is a mighty strong force," he conceded.

"Mm. . . ." Her eyelashes hovered over her eyes, creating a shadow. "Strong enough to conquer not having a heart?"

Although she could not see anyone's expression, she could hear a few inquiring noises.

Jiminy looked at her with a crooked brow. "A Heartless? What do you mean?"

"I don't mean _a_ Heartless, necessarily. I mean someone who _is_ heartless, just doesn't have a heart." She paused for a moment, dithered. "Not a creature bred of darkness, but . . . for example . . . what if I lost my heart, yet my body stayed behind? Do you think that I, hypothetically, could still fall in love, like . . . like if someone made me feel like I had a heart? Could love prevail over something as impossible as that?" Her cheeks were a little red.

He had to think of his reply. His brow wrinkled over his narrowed eyes, and his gloved hand brushed his chin. "Hmm . . . well that's a tough one to answer. Logically, it doesn't make sense. The only beings without a heart are Heartless, and they've hardly any sense, let alone feelings! But my heart . . . ," he smiled, ". . . why, it says anything is possible!" He chuckled.

". . . ." She waited for him to say something more before she provided any reaction. "Mm." _Anything's possible, huh? That's too broad. What about flying pigs, and hell freezing over? Those expressions came to be because they're impossible, never going to happen. That doesn't help me at all._

Hikari reached up to scratch the back of her head. A dull, minor ache had settled into her biceps and triceps, she noticed, courtesy of the Underworld curse. She did not bother now to raise her hand to poke the crystal clear spheres left behind by shattered souls.

A high-pitched, blood curdling scream echoed through the Underworld tunnel and drew everyone's attention to the back of them. Flying through the tunnel came an old woman comprised of wispy chartreuse smoke, similar to the souls surrounding them. She passed them with no regard for their presence, as if she did not notice them, and continued down the tunnel.

Cloud chased after the woman with everyone else in his wake. They followed her down the remaining part of the tunnel into the Valley of the Dead.

This part of the Underworld was much more open than previous rooms. Unlike the Cave of Dead's entrance or passage, the valley was a long, seemingly natural bridge of rock from where they stood to a room at the opposite end. Several circles, like points on a line, dotted the bridge in-between. The walls of the valley were a great distance from the bridge's perimeter.

The woman dove off of the edge into the river below, where other spirits like her swam throughout their afterlife. Cloud, Hikari, Leon, and Yuffie stood on the edge, looking over. The pool seemed to give off an eerie glow, coloring the lower half of the wall and giving a very light tint to their faces.

"Heeeyy, that's the same river-thing we saw at the entrance, isn't it?" Yuffie inquired.

"The River Styx," pointed out the blond. "Don't fall in. It'll be like the Underworld curse, but worse. A lot worse." He turned away from it. "It'll suck the life out of you at a much quicker rate; only a few minutes before you're dead."

"For some reason it seems strange to me that the Underworld is so deadly," Hikari commented. "Hades's chums seem to be mostly of the living, so I don't understand why he's so eager for new recruits." She regarded Cloud. "Oh . . . that's right, you were a chum."

He stoically brushed it off. "No offense taken. We're almost there. Hades's chamber is just across this bridge. We've been lucky. He must have all his Heartless fighting in the Games." Silently, he motioned for the others to follow him. It was noted by Hikari that the gesture was not tired like hers would be; like Cloud had predicted, due to her recent ailments, the curse affected her most.

Three years in Disney Castle must have softened her; or she was simply out of practice. Definitely more reckless.

Team Yuffie plus two continued toward their ultimate destination, not seeming to notice an irregularity in the rock structure at the passage exit. Its shape almost made it appear to be a special gateway fashioned for that exit; the two, very thick posts on the sides were congruent and attached to a gargantuan midsection topped with two "heads" positioned closer to the right. Also, this rock was colored more of a deep brown as opposed to the depressing blue they had encountered thus far.

The two heads suddenly had spots of color added to them, a pair of red each. They were shaped like eyes, and would fleetingly disappear as if they were blinking. At different times, on each head, another, much larger, red spot opened, and rock below dropped directly downward—very similarly to a yawn.

The Rock Titan woke from his apparent slumber and spotted the group as they walked away. Slowly one boulder-ish foot was lifted from the floor and swung to take a step forward. Since his legs were proportionally short, it was going to be a very short step, more of a shuffle.

Bringing up the rear was Leon, his Gunblade comfortably resting on his shoulder. An inexplicably eerie feeling rested on the tension between his shoulders, much like the paranoia of feeling one was being watched. He turned his head a little and glanced at his heels. Normally, this feeling hinted that Heartless were around, he thought when he lowered his Gunblade.

Indulging in his inkling, and expecting only to find perhaps a few Shadows or Darkballs, the brunette turned and was surprised to see it was no small fry behind them. His eyes widened and he clicked his tongue. "Look out!"

The shadow of the Rock Titan's foot hovered over all of them, but they looked at the source only when prompted by Leon's warning. Before the Titan could make pancakes of them, they had spread and circumvented as quickly as they could. Leon stood directly in front of it, Cloud and Yuffie were kneeling toward the end of the platform on its left after they had rolled out of the way, and Hikari was fluidly getting herself to stand after she had rolled to avoid the foot before it hit the ground.

Powerful tremors resonated throughout the stone bridge, causing a minute, yet strong, quake that brought Leon to his knees. Small pieces of rock were crumbling from interspersed spaces around and beneath the bridge. This included under the feet of Hikari, who was having a hard time staying on her feet as it was; she had not quite achieved balance after her dodge. Jiminy was a foot in front of her, on his belly and pulling his hat tight against his head. He had fallen from her shoulder.

The quake continued for a few moments, hardly seeming to let up even a smidgen when the Rock Titan was lifting his other foot. Larger-than-pebble stones began breaking away from where Hikari stood until the second step was taken. The rock beneath her feet gave way, and she fell down into the River Styx.

* * *

The sun cast its twilit rays outside the castle of Hollow Bastion and gleamed off the tip of the arrowhead positioned on the bow in a young woman's hand. She stood in a practiced stance behind the waist-high fence on a ledge with a very high drop, should she fall; upon looking over the edge, she could see that the castle, whose base fused with rock, merged with darkness.

The twang as she released the string of the bow filled the Castle Gates area, and the arrow flew over the abyss into the wall across the way on an opposite ledge that was a little lower than the one on which she stood. A rope connected it to her hand.

She hung her bow on her arm and took the rope in both her hands. Leaning back to test it, she pulled away and the arrow, far too easily, popped out of the indentation it had made. The woman fell back onto her bum. "Oof!"

Under the shadow of her cat-eared hood, which was white and lined with red triangles, she frowned. While she stood she reeled in the arrow and prepared her stance once more. Her bow was lowered, and her arrow on the string, as a light breeze disturbed her attire and the long, midnight blue bangs hardly visible under her hood and its shadow.

She twisted her neck a little and regarded Hinata on the other ledge. "I need to get to her before the Heartless show up. They'll be all over her once she's awake . . . ," she muttered.

Once more she raised her bow and aimed at the wall. Her jacket was trimmed with red triangles around the flared hem and the band under her breasts. They also would adorn the trim of her flared cuffs, but they were tucked into black leather arm guards and black, fingerless gloves beneath. When the wind disturbed the jacket under the band, the split opened to show a red, skintight body suit that went to her thighs. Boots covering her shins were black, as was the quiver hooked to her back.

"Cheer." Small pillars of light circled her and rose around her, a visible display of her aura. As it disappeared, her grip on the bow firmed, her arms raised themselves a little, and her overall stance adjusted itself properly. This time, when she released tension, the arrow was propelled deep into the target wall; it had perceptibly embedded itself much deeper than the previous attempt. When she tested her weight against it (a safety precaution that was not wholly necessary, but was taken anyway) it did not budge. "Hn."

The other end of the rope was tied toward the top of a post at the corner of the ledge on which she stood. There was a convenient indentation that would ensure the rope did not end up sliding down and cause her to be stuck in the middle of the abyss. She tied the knot very tightly, using her weight to pull the line as taut as it could be.

Carefully she climbed onto the fence, using the post for support. Then, she raised her bow over the zipline, held either end, and breathed, "Alright, now just don't look down. This'll take no time. Easy."

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her legs from the fence and leaned forward. Her feet left the solid fixture and wind rushed passed her face as she ziplined toward the other ledge. Her hood whipped the sides of her face, unable to completely go back due to her arms being so close to the flanks of her head. The distance was short, and her destination did not have an area with a lot of room for error; so as not to miss the ledge or crash into the wall, she had to time it right.

When she let go, her right foot landed first, barely touching the edge. Waving her arms around violently, as she felt herself tip back, she leaned forward and shifted her weight. She took a few steps and removed herself from peril. Her hand was over her rapidly beating heart.

As if her heartbeat were a signal heard by all, Darkballs, Shadows, and a Wyvern spawned around her and Hinata. The young woman's silver eyes widened and she jostled toward the Hyuuga. "Uh-oh!" On her knees, with her bow on one shoulder, she raised her hand toward a Darkball coming too close for her liking. Bright white light made her hand glow and was concentrated into a ball; the ball left a trail of white light as she threw it at the Heartless. "Pearl!"

The Darkball was pushed far back and the young woman turned her attention to Hinata. She began shaking her by the shoulders. "Hey! Girl, wake up! You shouldn't be sleeping in a place like this! . . . Come on—_argh!_"

A Wyvern's talons dug into her shoulders and squeezed, raking her. Reaching back she used Pearl again, twice, to deter it. Other Heartless gave her a little distance. She reached under her hood, incidentally pushing it back, to feel the stinging wound. When she regarded the blood she picked up on her finger tips, it was a smaller amount than what she had anticipated, so it was actually rather shallow. _That's fine then._

Knowing she would not be able to hold the Heartless back long (her style was more to hit or distract the Heartless and run) she lowered her mouth toward Hinata's ear and screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hinata opened her eyes and gasped, shooting up into a sitting position. Her lavender-white eyes gazed straight into the young woman's silver orbs. The woman's long, midnight blue bangs fell in-between her eyes and framed her face down to her neck. The rest of her hair was tucked into her jacket. "Wha—?"

"No time to explain," the woman claimed as she stood. "There are Heartless all around here! We gotta get out of here quick, before more show up."

The Hyuuga's eyes darted to the creatures as she jumped to her feet. Quickly she performed the necessary seals and awakened her Byakugan, immediately using her variation of the Gentle Fist against the closest Heartless. Seeing as the woman seemed intent on running away, she simply threw a few chakra needles to hinder the creatures. Unlike the Heartless in Traverse Town, they—even the Shadows—seemed to have a higher endurance, remaining even after being stricken.

The woman raised her bow, fitted an arrow in it, and channeled Pearl through the head. The arrow left a trail of white light as it shot the Wyvern through its chest and dissolved it into darkness. She grabbed Hinata's wrist. "Hurry! Before more spawn!"

Hinata was pulled around the corner, away from the Castle Gates entrance, toward a lift. Shadows were sprouting at their feet, wiggling their antennae and bobbing their heads in response to the palpitating hearts calling them. The lift hovered over an open space at the end of the ledge and connected at the top to a beam of light that marked the path it would take. The lift itself was shaped like a circular bird cage.

The woman tapped a crystal to the side of the lift and stumbled inside with Hinata close behind. The lift's doors nearly closed on the tips of Hinata's hair and shut out any Shadows that nearly squeezed their way in; the few that had made it halfway were chopped in half and felled.

Leaning against the back, the woman was breathing rather heavily. She reached for the wound again to see if it was still bleeding. A little blood was added to what originally had been there, but not a lot; had the hand been clean, there would be less blood than before.

The blue-nette kunoichi noticed the carmine body fluid nevertheless and reached into her kunai pouch as she kneeled. "Oh. . . . Uh, are you hurt?" From it she retrieved an ointment crafted from strong medicinal herbs and offered it. "I'm sorry . . . y-you were saving me. Please, use it." The woman accepted the capsule. "Um . . . thank you. . . . My name is Hinata."

The woman smiled. "Thank _you_ for the medicine. My name . . . hehe, well, it's actually a little long, so you can just call me 'Cala.'"

**End of Chapter Twenty-five**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-six: Dynamis Lythos!

It unsettled him a little. He did not like being confused, and something fishy was almost definitely going on. What had gotten into Krystal? And Sai. . . . He remembered the passive smile he had given him at the end of his match with Team Yuffie. What was the deal with that guy?

Music began, signaling the match was about to start. Phil waddled to the center of the arena and glanced at both parties. He raised his arm. "Alright boys—and girl—let's keep this clean. Your match starts . . . NOW!" He dropped his arm and waddled out of the battleground.

The translucent boundary walls manifested. Sora's grip on the Keyblade tightened and he shifted his focus to the present. With Donald and Goofy behind him, he charged forward.

* * *

Hola! How's ya like the chapter? Some of you were inquiring about what happened to Hinata after she was kidnapped, so I thought I'd address that . . . especially since I decided to change my mind on her status XD So now, simply be satisfied that she's running around Hollow Bastion with "Cala."

Final Fantasy fans may or may not recognize Cala's attire to be based off of the White Mage robe—I simply made it into a jacket, and kind of made her overall ensemble to be kind of like an archer. I wanted to base her off a Final Fantasy job class, and . . . viola! She's a cross betwixt two :D! The Cat-Ear hood was a last minute addition thanks to too much time spent on the Final Fantasy wikia. . . . I mean simply to scope out Duodecim information, but then I end up page jumping... hehe ^^'

"Blue-nette" is not an actual term nor is it one I thought of. I saw it in one of Sayounara Yasashii Akumu's stories (sorry Akumu if I misspelled it) and it's a nice break from "the blue-haired woman" XD

The interaction between Maleficent and Pain . . . a toughie. God complex meets superiority complex? I hope I hit that alright.

Anyway . . . hope you guys are satisfied. **Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	26. Dynamis Lythos!

Recappy from the Last Chappy**: **Leaning against the back, the woman was breathing rather heavily. She reached for the wound again to see if it was still bleeding. A little blood was added to what originally had been there, but not a lot; had the hand been clean, there would be less blood than before.

The blue-nette kunoichi noticed the carmine body fluid nevertheless and reached into her kunai pouch as she kneeled. "Oh. . . . Uh, are you hurt?" From it she retrieved an ointment crafted from strong medicinal herbs and offered it. "I'm sorry . . . you were saving me. Please, use it." The woman accepted the capsule. "Um . . . thank you. . . . My name is Hinata."

The woman smiled. "Thank _you_ for the medicine. My name . . . hehe, well, it's actually a little long, so you can just call me 'Cala.'"

Chapter Twenty-six: Dynamis Lythos!

Sora took the stance ingrained in the memory of his muscle, one coming as naturally to him as breath filling lungs. Standing like a batter hovering over home plate and awaiting a pitch, his knees were crouched and he held his Keyblade in both hands. Donald and Goofy were at his flanks; the former holding his staff like a batter "on deck" and the latter with his shield like a catcher's mitt.

The brunette stared directly across the arena to the opposing team, where stood Sai and Krystal. His little boy blues scanned both of them as he mentally reviewed the matches he had seen them participate in. They would be a difficult pair to beat, especially Sai. Krystal he was uncertain about.

His eyes fell on the kunoichi as she took out the shukusen she had been using in earlier matches. Despite how familiar she had appeared to be with them earlier, she seemed much less comfortable holding them now. Her expression was one of the perplexed and inquisitive as she opened them and spent a few moments tampering with the device until she discovered how to expand the blades.

Additional peculiar behavior included how she had acted toward him not long earlier. He had thought they had gotten along just fine based on their first encounter, and just prior to the beginning of the tournament she had wished he, Donald, and Goofy good luck in their matches. Yet in-between fights, after Sai and Krystal had defeated Team Yuffie, she had bumped his shoulder on the way back to the den, seemingly on purpose. She had sneered at him over her shoulder as she walked away.

It unsettled him a little. He did not like being confused, and something fishy was almost definitely going on. What had gotten into Krystal? And Sai. . . . He remembered the passive smile he had given him at the end of his match with Team Yuffie. What was the deal with that guy?

Music began, signaling the match was about to start. Phil waddled to the center of the arena and glanced at both parties. He raised his arm. "Alright boys—and girl—let's keep this clean. Your match starts . . . NOW!" He dropped his arm and waddled out of the battleground.

The translucent boundary walls manifested. Sora's grip on the Keyblade tightened and he shifted his focus to the present. With Donald and Goofy behind him, he charged forward.

* * *

_My eyes were shut when my crown broke through the surface of the River Styx. Like Cloud had said, I could feel the life being sucked out of me, my chakra spilling into the river around me. It seemed quicker than ever, like blood profusely pouring from an open wound. My body had that mild tingle, a lesser feeling of pins and needles than when I'd tried out the Warp feature in the Gummi to get here._

_It was funny. I was floating, but I didn't feel like I was in water. I didn't feel wet. Souls were all around me, brushing against my arms and legs, but unlike those above the surface, these had substance. I felt them and they did not fall apart. I think some of them were pulling a bit of my chakra with them. The ones that did looked a little brighter._

_You could say it was like I was wearing a wetsuit in an ocean. Although I could breathe, the dispersion of my chakra was like my oxygen running out, the ghosts brushing me were fish, and their wails where the songs of humpback whales in the distance. My fingers were even beginning to look like prunes. . . ._

But her hands were not wizening because she was in water for too long. These wrinkles were arranged differently. Her skin was not shriveling; it was becoming flabby, loose on her skeleton. For that matter, her arms were becoming skinnier; she was losing muscle mass. She saw silver strands of her hair fleetingly show themselves in her peripheral.

She was _**aging.**_

"_The River Styx. . . . It'll suck the life out of you at a much quicker rate; only a few minutes before you're dead."_

Hikari's eyes widened a fraction as she realized the gravity of her situation. Her consciousness was beginning to slip away with all her chakra. Both her body and her ability to think were weakening by the second; she felt already as if she were on her last legs.

Kicking her legs and propelling her arms as quickly as her body would allow, she swam toward the surface with a frantic sense of urgency, all the while dodging the souls swimming with her. She was not sure how long she had been under—a few seconds, a couple minutes—but it seemed like the longer she was in, the faster it would pull from her. Each moment her chakra points felt like they were widening, opening up, allowing for a greater release.

Her sole reprieve was that she was not in actual water. Had holding her breath been necessitated, she certainly would have died already. With her body slowly decaying, she soon found herself taking a gasp of breath each time her right arm reached up. The wrinkles in her brow were becoming more plentiful with age, frustration, and the exponentially increasing effort required of her.

She was being drained of her final reserves of chakra. Her curse mark was beginning to fester at the same time as her hand broke the surface. When her head came above, she was wheezing, her hands were gnarly, and her body was wrinkly skin and bone. She looked almost like a zombie.

Not allowing herself to hesitate now, she tried to concentrate chakra onto her palm so she could lift herself; but she had so little her hand fell through. Unlike what was required for walking up a wall or tree, walking on a liquid surface required continuous output of chakra.

The kunoichi's eyes were beginning to glaze. Without a second thought, she released her curse mark in an act of desperation. Tainted dark chakra spilled through her chakra network and markings sprouted across her skin. Chakra visibly manifested on her hands and feet as she tried lifting herself from the river again. With the renewed chakra she was able to stand atop the souls.

Hunched over, being drained through her feet, she ran over to the base of the rock. Luckily, a slab of rock jutted out just far enough for her to step off the river and break contact completely.

Immediately her appearance started to regress to her original countenance. The wrinkles on her gnarled fingers disappeared whilst her frame filled out to its normal mass. The curtain of hair obscuring her face darkened from silver to black. She was able to straighten her spine, liberated from the hunch she had been subjected to with her "age." Her regaining youth smoothed her wrinkles and her chakra renewed her energy. Lines from her active curse mark crossed down her left arm, her neck, chin, and left cheek.

She let out a sigh of relief and stretched.

Feeling a light tremor that traveled from the top, the kunoichi lifted a foot and planted it on the side of the rock. Concentrating just enough chakra to the soles of her feet to ensure she would not fall, she scaled the mountainous stone at a running pace. If she used chakra as an adhesive, the quake should not have the same effect as before.

At the top, Cloud, Leon, and Yuffie were holding their own. The Rock Titan was a colossal foe, and weighty at that. The team concentrated their attack on its feet, hindering it from stepping further. It was mostly stationary but would occasionally produce stones—boulders or pebbles—which would be dropped on them, but aside from that there seemed to be gross inaction.

One such boulder was being created in the palm of its hand over Yuffie while she was busy hacking at its leg with one of the blades of her fuuma shuriken. Sparks flew as she chipped away at it, but it was evident she exerted no actual damage.

These sparks were igniting her frustration. The rate at which she would strike him increased, and since she was striking harder, the chips were growing in size. "Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

Luckily, as the boulder began to descend, she hopped back and looked up the Titan's face. Ignoring the boulder, which she had not even noticed in the first place, she threw her shuriken up and watched it arc into the guardian's chest. A large chip was made, but that was little effect and the fuuma shuriken was deflected from returning in its normal, boomerang manner. Like it had it a wall, it fell down almost directly; unfortunately for her, down the side and into the River Styx. The ninja collapsed onto her bottom in fatigue and defeat.

Then, Lady Luck being the sadistic, fickle little lady she is, the shuriken reappeared; casually it was held in Hikari's hand. She had jumped from the side of the rock out onto the top; she crouched on one knee and had the shuriken to the side. The markings of her curse crossed her neck, covered part of her face up to her eye, and peeked from under her sleeve.

Yuffie stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, allowing her arms to support her. Her preceding barrage of frustrated attacking and the Underworld curse were taking their toll. "How did you get up here? We thought you were a goner. . . ." Her head tilted to the side a little. "Whoa . . . what's with the markings?"

"Ancient ninja secret," she replied. Coolly, she returned the shuriken. "Actually, on my world, it's a pretty modern and common practice in learning chakra control." She pointed at her neck. "But this is a secret. My own curse. Nothing to be worried about. 'Fight fire with fire,' isn't that right?"

She looked over at Cloud and Leon. The latter signaled the former to back up and wielded his Gunblade with his right hand instead of both. Pulling the trigger multiple times, he turned full-circle, creating orbs of energy—half of which were in direct contact with the Rock Titan's legs. Flipping back, he distanced himself from the orbs and made a gesture that caused them to detonate.

The Rock Titan's right leg was blown off completely, turned into mere pebbles that scattered across the Underworld floor. Before it lost balance and toppled over, however, a minuscule quake transpired and out of the ground came a mound of rock matching the Titan's color. It rose to the Titan's base and attached itself, stopping him from falling.

"We need a bigger explosion," Cloud noted.

Leon looked over his shoulder. "Hikari! You go ahead and find Krystal. Cloud said she should be in the room across the bridge. We'll have this taken care of by the time you get back." He wiped his forearm against his sweat-dewed forehead. "Or else I don't think we'll last long. The Underworld curse—it's taking its toll on all of us."

Hikari nodded and turned toward the entrance to Hades's chamber. Releasing her seal so the markings crept forward half an inch, she ran across the bridge.

* * *

Three ink lions sprang forth from Sai's scroll and clacked their claws against the cement. They opened their mouths to show off their sharp fangs and ran toward Sora on the attack. The brunette immediately responded, running to meet them. Ink splatters were all over the blade of his Key, and some had marked his shorts; gore of Sai's previous minions.

Donald raised his staff as all three lions leapt toward the Keybearer and cried, "Sunder!"  
A stronger spell, Thundaga came to be. Gross bolts of lightning struck each lion, evaporating them from existence, as Sora rolled under them; he narrowly dodged the sprinkling ink remnants.

With the lions out of the way, Sora rushed to engage Sai. The ninja quickly put his scroll away and procured his tanto, which he used to parry the Keybearer's overhead strike. While Sora's brow was furrowed in concentration, he did not seem to bat an eyelash as they exchanged blows.

"Krystal," however, was breaking a sweat. She faced Goofy near the West boundary, awkwardly wielding the shukusen and not quite figuring how to get around the considerable size of Goofy's shield. Both were clumsy characters, trying to elude yet at times finding it difficult to keep stable footing.

Krystal tried getting around the goof and slicing his posterior, but he quickly swiveled and deflected the blades. Knocked off balance once more, she tried finding her footing again and nervously smiled. "Um, hey, think we could talk this over? I, er, know this really nice place in Thebes—they've got Kakavia that's to _die_ for—!"

Before she could get her offer out, Goofy knocked her onto her back with an "A-hyuck!" Her torso fell out of bounds on the sand yet her legs were sprawled on the cement. Pink and blue smokes encased her yet were kept from mingling by the barrier. Goofy backed up a little and gazed in horror—he could have sworn he had seen her in HALF. . . .

When the smoke cleared away, Pain stood out of bounds while Panic remained in. Anxiously the blue imp chuckled and shrank back. With a meek smile and wave, he scurried out of the arena; with Panic, they ran out of sight. Somewhere, a guttural roar echoed and smoke spilled out of the den.

There were disturbances in the stands as the audience murmured amongst them and all of Team Sora stared like cows at where smoke still rose and where Pain and Panic had been found standing; nobody knew what to make of this occurrence. Sai and Sora had their weapons locked.

The ninja twisted his wrist so his tanto and the Keyblade were brushed off to the side and kicked Sora's stomach. "Agh!" The brunette went back and down onto his rump, clutching his stomach. Sai jumped back and whipped out his scroll again. He was quick; it was hardly possible he had formed anything but a mere scribble. Once more a hawk sprang forth from the page and he was on its back, ascending beyond physical reach.

He continued drawing on the scroll as the hawk circled the arena. Goofy had no attack that he could quite angle that high, but Sora and Donald began using magic, hesitating only to stand and consume an ether respectively. The former began using projectiles of fire, seeing as that spell required the least amount of magic from him whereas Donald casted the more advanced Blizzara. The latter sent three ice projectiles after the ninja.

He dodged every one effortlessly, not flinching when an ice crystal crazed his hair or blinking when his hawk graciously maneuvered around the pillars of lightning as if of its own accord. His brush continued to fly across the page.

A frustrated Donald raised his staff and spat, "Gravira!" His webbed feet lifted a foot from the ground.

Sai jumped back off the hawk as it was encased in a dome of magic resembling a starry night sky. As his bird of prey crashed down into the cement, compressed by the crushing power of the spell, he held his scroll between his lips and performed a few hand signs. A teeming array of new ink creations were produced and arranged themselves on the arena floor. They were countless, so plentiful a myriad the floor was disappearing.

They all resembled Shadow Heartless, mostly black as far as their bodies were concerned yet colorless when it came to their eyes. Unlike natural Heartless, their glowing yellow eyes were absent. Sai had probably chosen them because their basic form allowed for him to draw many quickly.

Team Sora began hacking their way toward Sai.

* * *

Hades's chamber was an almost quaint abode with decoration similar to the rest of the Underworld. The room had rounded corners and was spherical, like it had been carved out. A black chandelier barren of light hung from the ceiling in the center on a black chain and had a skull-like face. An opening in the wall opposite of the entrance acted as a window to the River Styx.

Hikari stepped forward toward a cauldron-like fixture beneath the chandelier. A glowing green substance appeared to be within—she suspected yet another sample of the river—but she could not get a clear look. A large, gridded board sat on top of the cauldron's ornate rim, so she only had a peek. She turned her attention to the board.

Dozens of pieces lay strewn across, most of them wooden miniatures of creatures featured in Greek mythology, defeated. Cerberus was one among them. Few still stood on their circular bases, such as Lythos (the Rock Titan.) A charred pawn of Cloud was off to the side as if he were inconsequential, but most interesting were three set apart from the others: Sora, Hercules, and Sai.

The kunoichi scowled at the pawns and reached over to pick up the one resembling Sai. It was a simple version of him, almost chibi, yet had enough detail that the fake smile was unmistakable. His pawn had stood in apparent victory over the other two for they lied in defeat.

She frowned. _So the chum is Sai. Should've known. . . . He had no reason to fake a smile back there, yet he was. Sounded oddly candid about everything else—I thought he was like me, how I was awhile ago. Though I didn't bother with fake smiles. . . ._

A faint whisper that was absorbed in a moan drew her attention to the side of Hades's throne. There Krystal was curled up in the smoke rings binding her in place. Hikari set down the pawn and approached her. "You dead? Krystal . . . ?"

The Hyuuga's sole response was a light shudder and a small, sharp gasp. Her head was bowed thus her hair shielded her face. Her reaction to speech, and to Hikari's touch, was minimal; when she lifted her head, she realized why. Her eyes were closed, her muscles were lax, she seemed disconnected—she was either asleep or barely hanging onto consciousness.

_It's got to be the curse,_ Hikari speculated. _She's been here longer than all of us, and she's not like me. Uzumaki have deep reserves of chakra to begin with and I can dip into this chakra. She doesn't have either._ Concentrating chakra to her fingertips, she cut through the smoke ropes. _She should be fine after she eats something to replenish the chakra, but she needs to be out of here quick._

Hikari pulled the kunoichi up by her armpits and dragged her over to sit in Hades's throne. She stirred a little and slivers of her eyes were visible between parted lids. She was extremely out of focus, seeing only black hair and making out that there was some kind of pattern on her faced; her lips twitched into a curl and her body flinched. "Sasu-mm. . . ."

She paused and raised a brow. _"Sasu-mm" . . . ? Hmm, she's really out of it._ Forming a cross using two fingers of each hand, she produced a single doppelganger that she had help her get Krystal into piggyback position. She considered having the clone at as a crutch and she the other, but she decided dragging the girl would be troublesome and probably slow her down.

When Hikari had her hands under her legs and the clone draped her upper body over her back and shoulders, the Hyuuga's body tightened. Naturally her arms closed around her shoulders and she mustered the strength to keep herself from falling back and choking her. Her chin rested on her shoulder, thus placing her mouth near her ear.

"S . . . sorry . . . Hika . . . mm. . . ," she whispered; her breath directly contacted her neck, sending a chill down her spine.

—_I remember the chill running down my spine as I stood, rigid as a board. Orochimaru's warmth breath on my neck, the moisture in it as he practically salivated over the thought of corruption. The hot pain as his curse tainted my veins and chakra network. The wave of heat as a fever spread—_

She shook her head to rid herself of the memory and silently stared in front of her for a long time. Then, she glanced at Krystal side-long. "Mm. . . . I'm sorry, too." She dismissed the clone and exited the chamber.

In the Valley of the Dead, Yuffie continued hacking at the Rock Titan's leg, heavily swinging each time with a great amount of effort. She exerted enough energy to have become the one that consumed the most potions of all.

"Hyyyyyyya!" she exclaimed, utilizing a spin move to hopefully increase her force. She moved to strike again, but a manifesting red aura gave her cause to pause. "Ah! Hey, I'm at my limit!" The ninja distanced herself from Lythos and looked up. "You guys ready?"

Cloud jumped back farther than her and held his sword straight so the point touched the ground. Leon took a few steps back and held his Gunblade to the side. Hikari was not far behind, coming across the last bridge between where the fight was taking place to the domain of Hades. Both men nodded.

Yuffie grinned, closed her eyes, and raised her shuriken. "Even in a world where fear and darkness reign over the heavens, " she began, psyching herself up, "you must never forget—where there is shadow, there is always light!" She opened her eyes and smirked. "That's right!"

Red aura deepening its hue and intensifying, she jumped onto the base of Cloud's sword, rested her feet on either side of the handle, and jumped again. "Bask in my rays, evildoer!" She landed on the Rock Titan's shoulder and thrust her shuriken deep in-between its heads. "Feel the radiance of Awesome Super Warriors, Team Yuffie!"

The red aura burst around her as she took hold of the groove in their titanic opponent's body, and he became violently tremulous. "Landscaper time!"

The Rock Titan began to crumble a little under Yuffie's Landscaper technique and dust started pouring from the faults forming about its body. Her limit loosened the rock, weakened it—much like how milk softened an Oreo cookie. Yuffie, who was turning green from all of the motion, managed to spit out, "A-any ta-ta-time you're ready, guys! G—," she swallowed something that threatened to rise in her throat, "—growin' old here!"

Simultaneously Cloud performed a Blade Beam and Leon attacked with Revolver Drive. Both were used to scatter the loosened particles and were very effective. The blonde arched his sword over him and released the blue aura of his sword in the form of a beam of energy that ran across the ground and exploded upon impact. The brunette took his glowing Gunblade and charged at the lower right region of their foe; his blade embedded itself deep within, and when he pulled the trigger, the sword vibrated and released an explosive amount of energy.

Through the combined efforts of Team Yuffie, the massive Lythos was reduced to mere pebbles scattered across the threshold of the Valley of the Dead. Yuffie herself landed on her bottom roughly; miraculously, her tailbone remained intact. Everyone took a moment's respite, worn by the Underworld curse.

Sadly, the moment was only allowed to be fleeting. Either Lythos managed to carry out his will in pebble form or the force utilized by Team Yuffie was too powerful, but tremors continued through the Valley and rocks began to rain from the ceiling.

Leon approached Hikari and dismissed the Gunblade, offering to take Krystal. As Hikari handed her off, she explained, "She's exhausted. Her chakra's nearly drained, but she's still breathing. She'll be fine once we're out of here and get some food in her—it'll replenish the chakra and give her some energy back. She'll still need rest too."

"Alright." He proceeded down the passage of the Cave of the Dead with Hikari close behind. Cloud and Yuffie followed shortly, dodging falling rocks that broke apart upon impact with the ground. Most of the debris consisted of simple pebbles, but some retained their structure enough to be tripped over. Luckily, one simply stumbled and did not fall.

Many souls collapsed in their retreat, and even more clear orbs joined the gravel at their feet. Somehow Jiminy seemed to have found his way back onto Hikari's shoulder, for he held her fishnets for dear life. Everyone was running as quickly as possible, wanting to get out before the rocks became bigger or a giant boulder started chasing them down the tunnel like a scene out of an adventure film.

Shortly they escaped into Thebes. Krystal was set down on a nearby bench and Yuffie plopped down onto the ground next to her, breathing heavily and still rather green. Cloud leaned on his sword and Leon found himself slouched as he reached for a potion. Hikari went into her kunai pouch and procured a bag of large food pills made by Sakura. She took out one and handed it to Cloud. Everyone was exhausted, but Hikari had found her second wind.

"Give that to Krystal. Cut it if you have to. Her chakra energy should be restored with minutes, if the taste doesn't snap her out of this. She'll still be very tired, but she should be able to walk," she explained quickly. "Krystal's partner—Sai—he's the one Hades hired. I'm going to them before it's too late." Without listening to anyone's beginning utterance, she turned away and sprinted through Thebes. "Take care of her!"

* * *

Donald swung his staff weakly at the ink Shadows closing in on him. He was not one for physical altercation, having low stats in that area, and it showed. He had an affinity more for magic, but he had long ago cast his final spell; he was out of ethers. On top of that, he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. "Don't give up, Goofy!"

Said goof's strength and defense were still strong, but his accuracy was starting to suffer as his clumsiness increased with his fatigue. As a group of fabricated Heartless closed in on him, he attempted to perform Whirl-Goof, his spin attack, but he almost immediately lost balance, "—Sorry, Donald!—," and fainted. The Shadow clones around him all dog-piled atop him.

"Goofy!" Donald yelled, but before he could come to his friend's aid, he was overtaken as well.

Sora slashed through multiple ink copies at once due to the reach of his Keyblade, but it was plain he was beginning to tire and feel beleaguered. There were just too many! But there was no way he was going to lose to this guy. Somehow, in some way, he would have to persevere. . . .

The brunette glanced up to his opponent riding the ink hawk and saw that he made something like another sign with his hands. Abruptly the dozens of ink Heartless disappeared, all but two; the remaining duo grew significantly in size and warped their features in an instant. Two lions were at his flanks.

Before he could properly react, they converged, trapping him between their snarling mugs. He was stuck, his Keyblade hand was rendered immobile—his struggles were ignored by the lions, starkly inconsequential. He looked up and there was his adversary, hovering on the back of his hawk. _Super Beast Scroll: Armor Collection._

Sai reached behind him, drew his tanto, and dove from the bird directly toward him.

Lowering his head so his chin touched his chest, Sora shut his eyes and his jaw clenched as he awaited impact. His back was to the arena entrance, where black tennis shoes created footprints in the sand; disturbances among the crowd drowned out the sound. He waited, anticipating the sensation of the slice before it came . . . but it never did.

The clang of metal resonated through the battleground to be followed by the crowd's applause, and Sora noticed a shadow cast on him through his eyelids. He opened his eyes, looked up, and gaped. "Hiki!"

Hikari stood directly above him, legs spread so one foot was planted on each lion's nose. She held a red-handled tanto of her own, blocking Sai's so they formed a T. The wind disturbed her hair, blew it from her face. The stitch-like markings of her curse were three-quarters of the way across her countenance and down almost to her wrist on her left arm.

Sai's emotionless stare directly met her leer as he began to descend and twisted his free hand into a sign. Guessing what he was up to, Hikari pushed him back with their blades and jumped off of the lions' heads just prior to their abrupt demise. She jumped so she was above hum and leaned into where their blades locked, forcing him down.

His back hit the cement, which was covered in ink from his faux Heartless collapsing, and Hikari landed with her knees on either side of him. She leaned into him, keeping his arm with the tanto occupied, but could not react in time when he used his free hand to punch her visage. She was forced to relieve pressure; he took the opportunity to slice her chest.

Ink spilled from the wound; the art of substitution.

Sai jumped to his feet and swept his eyes across the area; but it was in vain. Employing speeds nearly in par with what the Guts gem had to offer, she appeared behind him suddenly and tackled his posterior so he lied face down on the ground. Without hesitation she kneeled on his back and upper shoulders, trapped his right arm with her shin, and grabbed the other part of his arm with one hand.

Everyone but her cringed or gasped as she took her other hand and bent his arm back, snapping the bone. He grunted, biting back a yell. Some of Hikari's hair tickled his ear.

She hovered over him a few moments, quieting the violent rush of dark chakra as it rioted through her network. She did not want to savor the forbidden fruit; neither did she wish to indulge in the explicitly succulent center. The impulse to kill was a strong one, the lust for this boy's blood rather tantalizing.

But she could handle their desires. Primal though they were, a seal had been set upon her by the Third Hokage that helped suppress the otherwise frenzied state brought on by the curse. It was what stopped it from activating every single time she utilized chakra, gave her control.

Nevertheless, she trembled a little. She was on all fours with her head down and her hair covering her face. She placed her weight in either arm, pressing into his broken one in the process. Whether she was in love with Sora or not . . . this boy had almost taken someone important from her. No seal could suppress that rage.

Menacingly, she leaned down to his ear and whispered, "You will tell me everything. Understand?"

**End of Chapter Twenty-six**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-seven: Real Emotion!

_Sai is a young yet seasoned ninja of the Konoha ANBU. He's the perfect pawn for Hades—adept and hardened. Who knows how many assassination missions he's taken part in? Cloud refrained from killing Sora because he's a kid. Sai's about my age—I think—so maybe only a year older, he wouldn't care. And when you can't really feel emotions, your conscience fades. . . ._

Hikari sighed and ran her fingertips through her hair, pushing her bangs back. _Krystal . . . she was fooled, too. I got her in trouble, then, so I should. . . ._

_I have to know._

_I know Hades hired him to do it, but I have to know why he accepted. He's interested in emotions, so why did he accept a mission that would further deaden what feeling he has left? In ANBU I bet there was little room for choosing your own missions, but to be __**that**__ open to suggestion. . . ._

* * *

Holas! Yet another chapter of WDTL :D Um, I don't think I have a lot to say about this chapter. The title is in Greek—according to the internet, it means "Fight Rock!" literally, but Lythos is actually what the Rock Titan is otherwise termed, so. . . . Also, Kakavia—according to the internet, popular Greek dish XD Fish soup, I think 'twas. . . . *shrugs*

The move Yuffie used against Lythos was one of her limits from FFVII—"Landscaper." Leon's I think was from Dissidia, as was Cloud's . . . although I think Cloud's originally came from Advent Children. They are titled Revolver Drive and Blade Beam respectively. The one Leon used a bit earlier, with the orbs, was also from Dissidia and is called Fated Circle.

I can't wait to get the next chapter out to you guys :D It's the longest I've ever written! Fifteen pages and over 8,000 words! I may end up having to post it in two chapters. I know for Quizilla that will definitely occur. The next chapter will end this visit to the Coliseum. . . . Which is probably why it's so long.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	27. Real Emotion

Recappy From the Last Chappy: She hovered over him a few moments, quieting the violent rush of dark chakra as it rioted through her network. She did not want to savor the forbidden fruit; neither did she wish to indulge in the explicitly succulent center. The impulse to kill was a strong one, the lust for this boy's blood rather tantalizing.

But she could handle their desires. Primal though they were, a seal had been set upon her by the Third Hokage that helped suppress the otherwise frenzied state brought on by the curse. It was what stopped it from activating every single time she utilized chakra, gave her control.

Nevertheless, she trembled a little. She was on all fours with her head down and her hair covering her face. She placed her weight in either arm, pressing into his broken one in the process. Whether she was in love with Sora or not . . . this boy had almost taken someone important from her. No seal could suppress that rage.

Menacingly, she leaned down to his ear and whispered, "You will tell me everything. Understand?"

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Real Emotion**

"_Your emotions. When I think of how other people's faces look and how I make expressions__—__in comparison to you, you're near the middle. Almost like they're . . . oh, what's the term?" He smiled. "Half-hearted?"_

_I thought he was just a weird guy at the end of our first encounter. Well, maybe not "weird" per se, but he wasn't normal__—__he said so himself. I should've listened to caution. He was curious about emotions, and I knew his were fake, but for some reason I let my guard down._

_Sai is a young yet seasoned ninja of the Konoha ANBU. He's the perfect pawn for Hades__—__adept and hardened. Who knows how many assassination missions he's taken part in? Cloud refrained from killing Sora because he's a kid. Sai's about my age__—__I think__—__so maybe only a year older, he wouldn't care. And when you can't really feel emotions, your conscience fades. . . ._

Hikari sighed and ran her fingertips through her hair, pushing her bangs back. _Krystal . . . she was fooled, too. I got her in trouble, then, so I should. . . ._

_I have to know._

_I know Hades hired him to do it, but I have to know why he accepted. He's interested in emotions, so why did he accept a mission that would further deaden what feeling he has left? In ANBU I bet there was little room for choosing your own missions, but to be __**that**__ open to suggestion. . . ._

She frowned. _How can I be thinking like this? It's true__—__the real enemy is Hades, but we can't go after him in the Underworld. We'll have to wait until the next tournament to go after him. Bottom line . . . ,_ she lowered her head and fisted, _. . . this __**tool**__ tried to kill my friend._

She stood at the window of Sai's second-story hotel room with her back to the very subject of her thoughts. She glanced to her left through the door adjoining the room to Krystal's. The kunoichi sat cross-legged in her bed with multiple food items before her and a bowl of her favorite, odango, in her hand. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Yuffie were engaging her in conversation unheard.

Leon propped against the wall separating the rooms. He faced the profile of Sai, who was seated on the bed with his arm in a splint and the other tied to the bed post. All of his holsters, packs—any weapon or holder—were removed from him, set in the chair at Hikari's right hand.

The kunoichi about-faced and regarded the stone floor with a solemn visage as she buried her speculative thoughts. She concentrated on the ground, cleared her thoughts, and closed her hands as though she were deliberately holding onto some anger. Sure, she knew that one was supposed to be calm when playing the interrogator, exhibit control, but she needed _something._ She had no experience.

She lifted her head and gazed at him with cold eyes reminiscent of stone walls in a dungeon. Somehow more disconcerting than the glowing yellow eyes of the Heartless she once resembled, her gray-colored stare then would have chained one's heart under its direct scrutiny; namely, a normal heart.

Still as clouds on a calm day, the features of his were in no different an arrangement than from when they met. Like a perfect porcelain doll spared from fractures. Like he was not tied to the bed post. Like he was not outnumbered. Like he was not facing the same girl who had snapped his arm with little hesitation. Careless.

"_A smile can get you out of a tough situation. Even if it is fake."_

"What did I tell you about smiling?" she began, clenching her fist. The expression in her face was minimal and showed only through her gaze. "You're too fake. A fake smile won't help you out of a tough situation if the person you're trying to dupe knows you're lying!"

Her words hung in the empty air. His mouth remained still, but in the silence he opened his eyes. His lips did not move even to reply. Hikari continued. "So, you're not going to talk to me? You're going to just mock me silently?"

"Until you start questioning me," he answered. "Then perhaps I'll talk. Or mock you openly. Krystal must have told you what she knows, or else you wouldn't know that I was the bad seed. You know your true enemy is Hades. Killing your friend or Hercules wouldn't benefit me personally."

Hikari flattened her hands against the bed and leaned over. "I don't care about Hades! Not right now. . . We have no means to go after him in his domain. He's a problem to sort out during the _next_ tournament!" She paused and looked away. "Since he seems to act only during a tournament, this is the best way to go about it."

Her eyes flickered toward the wall separating this room from Krystal's. She looked at him again and straightened. "We'll start with who you are. What is 'Sai'? An alias? Or your actual name?"

"An alias."

"Then what's your real name?"

"I don't have one."

Hikari frowned. "Who do you think you're kidding? Everyone has a name, something they're called. You're what—fifteen? What've they been calling you all these years? Nobody's nameless. . . ."

There was a small pause. ". . . Sai is the name I gave myself when I met Krystal. It was part of an advertisement for a new fragrance titled, 'Companion,' which is what 'Sai' stands for. The boy on the billboard had a woman on each arm, and appeared happy." He continued to smile and closed his eyes. "They were ugly women, but I needed to give a name.

"I'm nobody. I am a tool, formerly of ANBU Root and its leader. I don't exist."

The kunoichi raised a brow. _ANBU 'Root'?_

* * *

In the next room, Krystal was seated with her back against the headboard of the bed and her knees drawn up to her chest. Arms crossed, resting on her thighs, she stared at white cotton sheets. Yuffie sat cross-legged toward the edge while Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in chairs nearby.

_There was darkness all over the village. Like a fog it started to roll across the floor as Heartless spawned from its depths. It was sorta quiet for an invasion, weirdly; maybe because we were nearing the end, and the worst had passed. Nearly everyone was gone already._

_Glowing yellow eyes stared at us from the dark. To me, they were like gleams from the metal of enemy weaponry; just as fleeting, just as hostile, just as active, and with the great amount looming in my peripheral vision, just as nerve-wracking. My heart was virtually pounding under the palm of my hand. Yet, despite my anxiety, I didn't follow them with my eyes directly. Instead, I looked at Uchiha._

_He was partly facing me, but his face was turned the other way. I couldn't see his eyes__—__they were blocked by his long bangs__—__but his face looked like it might've been red. His mouth looked almost like it was in a pout. . . . I looked down to his hand, which was extended toward me._

_Hesitantly, I reached for that callused hand, uncertain if he really wanted me to take it. I took a step closer to him and laced our fingers. His hand was warm and a little sweaty. The dark fog rose and thickened, and tendrils curled around our limbs. I shut my eyes._

_Even as our world was eclipsed by the darkness, I felt the warmth of a little bit of light in our joined hands._

Krystal cupped her cheek. "Uchiha and me got out of it together. We woke up three years ago in a bed of red roses and found an abandoned Gummi which we used to look at a whole bunch of worlds. . . . He wanted to find his brother and, in the meantime, test his ninja skills." Wryly she smiled. "I was happy to just be with him. . . . But he. . . ."

Her hand left her cheek and she blushed, discomfited, whilst averting her eyes, saddened. "I don't know how he felt. He never really let me into his heart, not completely, even though we've known each other since we were really little and spent months together with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei on Team Seven.

"See. . . ." She hesitated and closed her mouth. It did not seem like her story to tell.

_The rain was heavy, and it was freezing. My body wouldn't stop shivering, even when I was rubbing my arms for warmth. I squinted, trying to see through the heavy precipitation. It was pretty late in the night, and because there was a lot of forestry in the area, it was hard to see._

"_Sasuke, where are you . . . ," I whispered to myself and formed a string of seals, activating my byakugan. Honestly, I don't know why I hesitate to activate it sometimes. Probably because I look like I'm having one wicked migraine; stupid I know. At least I wouldn't have to face him like that, as once I placed his network I could simply head in that direction and deactivate it._

_It had been a year, roughly, since we escaped with our hearts and each other after the death of our world, two years before now. I had fewer curves, my chest was smaller, my hips (not that they're exactly something to flaunt now) were then non-existent, and even if it weren't raining my hair was much straighter, straining to reach passed my shoulders. My jacket was a regular green hoodie, reaching all the way past the waist of my grey skirt. The ankle-length fishnets did little to protect my legs from the cold._

_I found Sasuke in a small clearing in the forest when he was using the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu against one of the bigger Heartless, burning it away. He stood there a few minutes with his hand up near his mouth staring into the dark. He was soaked. The rain made his bangs cling to his cheeks and the cockatoo hairstyle droop. His clothes__—__still the same pretty much but for the absence of his headband and arm warmers__—__were definitely soaked through. Because I knew how long he had been out here, I figured he had some perspiration with the precipitation._

_He looked so lonely, lifting his head to gaze at the invisible rain clouds blocking out the twinkling heavens. His bangs slid down his cheek, the rain unable to act as a strong enough adhesive for them to counteract gravity. There was no light in his eyes._

_In the shadow of the trees I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what was going through his mind. I wasn't worried about the Heartless; he'd spent a lot of time looking for them and using them to train. People praised him for it; some gave him munny (this is how we funded our trip, mostly.) I was more worried about the long hours he spent at it._

_Biting my lip, I lowered my eyes from his face and stepped forward. The squish of my zori against the mud alerted him to my presence. He put on a broody scowl, and without a word, about-faced into the brush. I followed him._

_Because he'd left so suddenly I had to scurry a little to catch up with him and keep the red and white fan in sight. "Hey, Sasuke. We should get back to the Gummi ship. It's late. You've been out here for hours." Trying to be lighthearted, I smiled. "If you stay out here too long, you're going to catch a cold."_

_He didn't answer me. He didn't even act like I'd said anything. He just continued walking, kicked a Shadow that was peeking its head from the mud. It disappeared before it got the chance to form. He was looking for bigger fish to fry._

_I clicked my tongue and ran the last few steps 'til I could pinch a piece of his shirt and pull him to a stop. If he'd tried to, I bet he could've dragged me, but for some reason, he didn't. "Sasuke . . . !" I stopped short of crashing into him. "You got all the strong ones! There aren't anymore that're goin' to pop up! That Heartless you burned when I found you was barely a step above a Shadow. So what's keeping you out here?"_

_I could hear the frown in his voice, the annoyance when he clicked his tongue. "Just stay out of it!" he said, shrugging from my hand._

_Any words I said afterwards fell on deaf ears, but I think I annoyed him enough that he decided to call it a night. It wasn't for a long time that he explained why he wanted his brother dead. I had to ask him many times why he worked so hard, before he explained what his brother did: he was responsible for the massacre of his clan, the overnight killing of all Uchiha but Itachi and himself._

_I'd've thought knowing would've brought us closer together . . . but as soon as he opened the door to his heart a crack he closed it even tighter. I didn't know what to do with what he told me, so I guess I enabled him a little. I had a hard time afterwards even bringing myself to try and stop him. . . ._

Krystal lowered her hand and explained, "Uchiha's an avenger. He wants to kill Itachi, his brother, for something unforgivable."

Everyone's eyes widened. Sora swallowed. "Why would he want to do that?" He was an only child; as were most of his friends. Some of his acquaintances on the islands had siblings, and did not always get along with them, but . . . none of them had expressed their relations to be murderous.

"Something unforgivable," she repeated, looking at him. "It would probably be better to leave it at that." She started looking around at everyone before continuing her story. "We'd found Itachi at one point when our ship was swallowed by a giant whale swimming through space—it was large enough to be a world in itself! . . . Uchiha tried to take his revenge . . . but it didn't end well . . . at all."

_It was just a month__—__maybe a little over__—__ago. Inside the belly of a whale with the odor of stomach acid filling our noses, I leaned against a platform-like pink structure, barely hanging on. Everything was a little fuzzy, and the pain in my core was so intense, I saw black lining my vision._

_Itachi's partner wasn't very far from where I was. He was a weird guy with blue skin . . . I couldn't focus enough to see his other features, and I'd been too busy fighting him earlier to pay attention then. I saw under his arm a fuzzy mass of orange, yellow, and black. I struggled to whisper Naruto's name. . . ._

_Uchiha was picked up from the ground by the wide, black collar of his short-legged and sleeved jumpsuit by his brother and held against the wall of the stomach. The elder Uchiha was a few years older, standing inches taller and showing his experience through other aspects of his appearance. His bangs were long and parted, but he had grown out his hair so it was held in a ponytail reaching inches down his back. A line was present beneath each Sharingan eye. His eyelashes were longer than Uchiha's. Most of his body was in the black, red-clouded Akatsuki robe._

_Under Itachi's painted nails, Uchiha was bruised and beaten__—__humbled. A little bit of blood poured from his mouth and there were scratches on his body. He was limp, held up by his neck. He felt so much hate, so much rage, so much _humiliation . . . _but it wasn't enough._

"_You're still weak," Itachi said. "You don't have enough hate. And you know something?" His lips curled into a smirk as he leaned in toward Uchiha's ear and whispered something. Maybe I imagined it, but I somehow heard what he said: "And you never will."_

_Then he did something that opened Uchiha's eyes as wide as they would go, like he was caught in some kind of trance. He was trembling. Some unseen horror pervaded his mind, consumed him . . . until he started to scream in terror and agony._

_It was too much. I couldn't hold on anymore. I wanted to get up and help end his pain, end his screams, but I blacked out._

"After that . . . everything sucked again. Uchiha was more distant than ever. I tried to comfort him—," she hugged her knees, "—but it didn't make a difference! Then he started getting angry at me. He started **blaming** me." Emptiness grew in her stomach, absorbing any solace or comfort and leaving a chill in her veins.

"_You're making me soft! This wouldn't've happened if__—__!"_

The kunoichi clicked her tongue and crossed her limbs. Colors bleed into her face whilst her eyes narrowed. There was a pang in her heart, a hurt she forced herself to translate into abhorrence. "He just dumped me here and left! If I was the reason he was weak, he was just going to get rid of me! That jerk. . . ."

Hot dews were forming on her lower lashes. "And then that idiot, Sai! He comes along with that smile, trying to be nice, looking like Sasu—Uchiha!" She lowered her head, thus hiding her face behind a curtain of her hair when her shoulders trembled a smidgen. There was silence as she composed herself, tried for a moment to act strongly, not like the lost little girl she had been recently.

When she lifted her head, the tears were gone. Her expression was hardened. There was a scowl in her brow and her mouth was almost a straight line, but she was oddly calm. She buried her emotions. "I trusted Sai. I don't get exactly why, but I did. I don't have a clue why he agreed to do this. . . ."

"Bummer . . . ," the brunette responded in sympathy; he could find no other word to summarize. The others nodded in agreement. "Hiki's gonna get him to talk, so we'll get some answers. And Sasuke. . . ." He scratched the back of his head. "Whatever he said, he probably didn't mean it. Not really. . . ." He was uncertainly optimistic.

"Thanks, Sora. You're sweet, but. . . ." She smiled half-heartedly. "Uchiha meant it. I don't doubt he believes every word. He's like that." She smiled fully, but sadly. "You're kinda like Naruto, in a way. Can't stand to see a girl down."

Sora sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Ah! That's right, you know Naruto. Have you seen him around?"

The kunoichi's face reddened with her quickening pulse rushing blood to her extremities. The look of guilt deepened into nigh anxiety. "Um. . . ." A perspiring palm reached back and pulled her hair from her right shoulder to her other side, baring her neck. Her hand rested there. Her brow furrowed. "There's . . . there's something that I need to tell Hikari. . . . It's about Naruto."

* * *

Back in Sai's room, the questioning continued. "What are you playing at? You're making that up! I know there are the ANBU Black Ops, but I've never heard anything about 'Root!'" Hikari slid her hands off the edge of the bed and straightened. "Were you guys official?"

Sai seemed to grow tired of smiling. "We were secret. 'You have no past. You have no future. All that exists is the mission. We are the unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the Earth, our intentions as Roots.'"

"I see." The Uzumaki stared at him for awhile, reviewing information learned thus far. Seeing as he had never actually lied, simply withheld information not asked of him, he was rather consistent. His tale was odd, but as he weaved it, things fit. _So what? Could've practiced it. . . . But then why practice something unbelievable?_

Looking down for a moment as she processed this thought, she scratched the back of her head. _Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction. I mean, look at me. My heart's gone. People think I act like I do just because that's the way I am, but I bet I'd be different, if only a little. The feelings I have now are because Sora opened a connection with my heart, or. . . ._ She placed her hand over her heart, gazed at it, and blushed. _Or . . . these feelings are just breaking through. . . . It's the truth, at least the basics of it, but it's more questionable than saying it's the way I am._

Had she not been as focused on analyzing him, she would have realized these very thoughts were testament to the "half-heart" theory. The more she thought rationally, like one without emotion would do, the more her anger took a backseat; it was almost forgotten. Yet, she was using examples of herself and tying them to him; her subconscious desire to relate.

_I'm not going to know anything until I ask,_ she thought, pacing toward the corner of the bed. Looking off into space, subtly turning her head toward the other room at her right, she rested the opposite hand on the top of the bed post, which was a white Greek column reaching a little below her shoulder.

"Krystal's pretty disappointed in you. Actually, feeling betrayed by you is more like it. Pretty gullible in some ways, that girl; she bought you, thought you were an okay guy. Guess that was bad judgment."

Sai was watching her fingertips brush against the top of the column. His face was relaxed, not quite the same soulless stare he would exhibit when not fabricating his smile, but not expressing an emotion. It was almost like a default countenance."I wouldn't advise you to try plucking at my heartstrings."

She piqued a brow and glanced at him through her peripheral. "Huh?"

"Along with no identity, I lack the ability to feel sympathy, or empathy—or any emotion, for that matter." He looked toward the same direction Hikari had been gazing at previously and thought of Krystal's face when she discovered his secret deal with the god of the Underworld. "Maybe I should've looked like that . . . acted outraged at the suggestion. . . ."

Hikari stared at him with at least a sliver of white sclera all around her irises. _This guy . . . this guy__—__he's not__—__!_

Leon interrupted her thought, speaking so she turned her head. His arms were still crossed, and he still leaned against the wall, but one could tell he was tensed, ready to draw his weapon if necessary. "Then what you're saying is, you're a Heartless."

"No. It would be against the ideals of Konoha to have a squad or branch of ninja—even a secret one such as Root—to be full of tools whose hearts were consumed by darkness, dwelled so deep in the darkness, or were Heartless. The intention simply was to create perfect shinobi, to perfect obedience and eliminate moral conflict when it came to the mission."

"What did they do?" the kunoichi asked.

He looked at her and Leon. "As a final measure to ensure emotions would not get in our way, a member of Root would have their heart sealed away when initiated. Call it a cage or chest if you will, your heart is locked. There is no darkness, no light, and no feeling. I was orphaned as a young child, so I didn't see much alternative from Root, and accepted it."

Crossing his legs, he added, "I'm curious about these feelings and the relationships that come with them. It's been so long since I've given a natural smile, I can't remember if I _ever_ had emotions. Krystal expresses great sorrow, rage, and sometimes a bit of happiness. I want to understand her feelings, and feel them for myself. My books tell me so many things, but they can't change my condition."

". . . And Hades said that he could. . . ." _That's just like with Cloud. Hades promised something he couldn't deliver. . . . I doubt the Lord of the Underworld has power like that__—__even if he is a god._ "So . . . that's why. . . ." She looked from the ground to him. "That's also why you placed yourself at the beginning of the spectrum, me in the middle, and everyone else at the other end." _You're like how I used to be . . . 'cept I knew exactly what I was missing out on._

Against the wall, the brunette man remained with his arms crossed as he stared at the ground. Under the wrinkled scar, his mind was hard at work, absorbing this information and working it into something, a new idea. ". . . . . . . . . . . . . ." He was about to open his mouth when Sora stumbled into the room.

"Hiki!" he said, holding both sides of the doorway. "Krystal has some information on Naruto! She says she knows something about where he is!"

Hikari turned to him and her hand went to her chest. "Really? Where is he?"

He shook his head. "She wouldn't tell me. She wants to tell you."

"I see." She turned her head to Sai, who regarded her with a fake smile once more. "I got all I wanted to know out of you. . . . Seems Hades works about the same angle each time. We'll find out what to do with you in a few. Leon?" She looked at him. "If you could watch him, make sure he doesn't try anything funny?"

He nodded.

With that said, she followed Sora into Krystal's room.

* * *

Krystal was in more than mild discomfort while Sora fetched Hikari. Her stomach was in knots and her nerves prickled with tension. She had not changed her position, rendered stiff by contrition. How could she say it? How could she be the bearer of bad news without seeming to be at fault. . . .

But she _was_ at fault—faulted by her own shortcomings. It was her weakness, the same reasons for which Sasuke had left, that it had happened. If she had been stronger, maybe Sasuke would not have felt she made him vulnerable, and Naruto would not have. . . .

Like thunder from a terrifying storm, she heard Sora tell Hikari she had info. She bit her lip, trying to think of a simple way to articulate what she needed to say, a way that was not harsh or unsympathetic. Her shoulders were tensing as she saw Sora come back in and a somewhat familiar profile enter the room. If she had not seen her face-to-face, she could have gone without saying; yet now, the words were like a battering ram against her lips. She could have kept it secret, but she knew it was wrong—Hikari needed to know.

A crash of thunder when Hikari stood at the side of the bed, few feet away. "What—?"

The Hyuuga could not hold the words in long enough for her to finish the question. She shut her eyes and blurted, "NARUTO WAS CAPTURED BY THE AKATSUKI!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden outburst; namely, everyone but Hikari. Her jaw dropped a little, but it soon closed into a stoic expression. Yuffie was confused, as were Donald and Goofy. The former asked, "What's the 'Akatsuki'?"

"They're a criminal group of ninja from Hiki's world who're after these 'jinchuuriki.' Jinchuuriki are people with a special tailed Heartless inside them," Sora explained slowly, remembering Gaara and Sasori. "They wear these black coats with red clouds. . . . They're the ones who took Gaara in Agrabah. But . . . so that means Naruto's . . . a jinchuuriki . . . ?"

Hikari said nothing.

Explanations and apologies began to pour from Krystal's mouth. "Awhile back Naruto joined me and Sasuke after whatever world he was on until then fell apart. I'm sorry! Everything was great; we were happy when it was the three of us. But Itachi and—and—I think his name was Kisame—they kicked our butts inside the whale, and just took him! I'm sorry. . . ."

She checked the Uzumaki's expression; it remained more or less the same. Forcing herself to calm down, she lowered her hand and rested it in her lap. "They aren't just after jinchuuriki anymore. They teamed up with someone—'Malevolent'?—who's goin' after these 'princesses' with hearts of pure light. They must've been talkin' stupid, 'cause everyone's heart's got darkness, but they were looking. . . . There was something else—a 'Keyhole'?"

Yuffie frowned. "You're talking about Maleficent. That witch!" She hopped to her feet and started punching the air. "So she's kidnapping with her partners now, huh? Well, we're gonna get all of 'em! She's not getting away with any of this!"

Krystal reached back into her kunai pouch and procured something which she held out toward Hikari. It was a necklace, one with a distinctive, inch-long, teal crystal gem with two beaded loops on either side. As the Uzumaki stared at it, the Hyuuga at first could not form words—namely, until she was relieved of the crystal. When the chain slid from her fingers, she looked down again.

"Y'know what it is, right? The First Hokage's necklace—the one Granny Tsunade gave Naruto when he mastered the rasengan. . . . It . . . must've fell off. . . . It's best that you have it, if you're looking for him."

She stared down at the crystal.

Goofy turned his head to Hikari with his puppy-dog-eyed sympathy. "Are you alright, Hiki? You aren't sayin' nothin'."

Krystal's head was down but she peeked up from under her brow. The others looked at her—Yuffie paused mid-punch— and listened for her answer.

Her lips parted, but her mouth did not yet open. Her hand closed over the gem, though the chain hung from the side. "It's . . . strange," she murmured. "I can't really put my finger on this feeling." Her neck craned down a little, her bangs flopping into her face. "I had mixed feelings about my brother when we were younger," she confessed. "I always knew that it was something about him, not me, that was the reason why everyone hated us. It was just something I felt in my gut. So on some level, I hated him, but he was all I had. Then he made a few friends, and I . . . thought I was being left behind. It was his fault that I lost my chance to make what I thought was my first friend. . . ."

Krystal averted her eyes in shame.

"I found out what Naruto was even before he did, during my absence from the Leaf. But I had a different darkness worming its way into my heart, so I thought, maybe, I deserved it. . . . And at the same time, it was hard not to like him. Heh, he had that effect on people. I both envied and admired him for it." She lifted her head a little, but her bangs were still in her face.

"My reasons for searching for him were selfish—and don't bother asking, 'cause I won't tell you. He took something from me, I want it back. But now. . . ." She lifted her face toward the ceiling and her hand to her chest, curling her lip to a small smile. "I don't feel as . . . relieved as I thought I would, yet . . . ," her smile faltered, ". . . I'm not as worried as I should be. Now that I know he's captured, I know I won't be just missing him. If we find Maleficent, or the Akatsuki, we find Naruto." To her chagrin, she thought, _I guess even half-heartedly, I have mixed feelings about him._

She met Krystal's eyes. "Thanks for telling me. As for Sai. . . ."

Mid-sentence she trailed off when Sora accidentally brushed his hand against her as he passed toward where he had been seated earlier. The spot where they touched tingled a little and blood rushed to her face as she thought back to what Jiminy had mused about her in his journal; in particular, her feelings toward Sora. "_(I think she likes him!)"_

What with the events surrounding their visit, she had nearly forgotten about that statement and wished she had. No evidence had been presented to her to answer whether the regeneration of her emotions spawned from a "love conquers all" thing or his status as the Keybearer. She tensed as the uncertainty buzzed through her mind.

Then, she had an epiphany. _Sai._

She pulled the First Hokage necklace over her head. "Hey, Sora. Let me borrow you for a sec."

**[Stars]**

Sora raised his brow and held up his Keyblade as he scratched his temple. "So, you want me to point the Keyblade at Sai—," he pointed it toward said ninja, "—like a Keyhole, and unseal his heart?" He lowered the Keyblade and looked at Hikari. "Can I even do that?"

Everyone except Krystal stood in Sai's room now to watch. After explaining Sai's situation, Hikari had requested of Sora the very task he questioned. Donald and Goofy appeared rather skeptical as well. The kunoichi turned to the brunette leaning against the wall. "Leon?"

The man came off the wall and approached the boy's side, summoning his Gunblade. "The Keyblade is supposed to be able to open all kinds of locks, like a skeleton key." He raised his weapon and pointed the tip like Sora had a moment ago. "We haven't found any documentation yet telling us whether this means hearts as well, but it's worth a try. A seal is a lock."

"Think of it like the lock Sasori had on his chest compartment to protect his heart, only the intention of this seal is different," she explained. "And this time, you can't see it." Scratching the back of her head, she blushed a little. "Just, try it—try picturing it in your mind while you point the Keyblade at him, and maybe it'll react. Try it . . . please."

Still touching the back of his head in conjecture, he glanced at the Keyblade and held it up again. Hikari really seemed interested in what this would do . . . he did not remember many occasions in which she said "please," if ever. "Okay, if you say so." He held the Key with both hands like he would when locking a Keyhole. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture something like the lock Sasori had, only with less puppet-like features on Sai's person.

A beam of light extended from the tip of the Keyblade directly to Sai's chest, though it was not until the ninja felt the warmth of the light rippling through his body that he reacted; even then, his eyes widened only a fraction in a minuscule surprise. The bonds keeping him tied to the bed post simultaneously unraveled, allowing him to rotate his wrist. Stars converged at the Keyblade's tip when the beam went away.

There was silence for a few moments. All eyes were on Sai, but none more hopeful than Hikari's. He was looking about himself, trying to grasp his senses and translate them to feelings. Before he said anything to waver her hope, she turned toward the doorway and summoned the test: "Krystal. You're on."

Said teen tentatively entered the room, reluctant to see his face after what had occurred in the den earlier that day. She bit her lip and kept her chin down, waiting until she was near Sora to lift her head and her lashes, thus unveiling her eyes. She moved some of her hair from behind her ear to hide a bit of her face.

Nevertheless, Sai could see her face well, especially her eyes. Once more his face was being reflected back at him; he could see his own reaction through her eyes. On the outside, his eyes had gotten bigger and his hand was over his heart. On the inside. . . . "My heart hurts . . . and I feel like my blood's running cold. And it's spreading to my stomach, making it feel empty, like a—a black hole." He looked up with practically pleading eyes. "What _is_ this terrible feeling!"

Pause.

Krystal's lip trembled. "Ha . . . ha ha ha. . . ." She shut her eyes and threw her head back, relief washing over her. "HA HA HA HA HA!" Everyone else smiled and giggled except Sai, who was looking at every one of them in confusion and shock.

Wiping the corner of her eyes, having been driven to a small tear with each laugh relieving tension of previous apprehension, she explained, "That's _guilt,_ Sai. Hades even said the first thing you feel might be remorse!"

Blushing, she lowered her lashes a little so they covered half her eyes and smiled. Her finger found a curl at her temple. "I'd be more worried if you felt something else. Now I know you're not all that bad of a guy!"

Sai blinked and lowered his hand. He was not totally sure, but he thought that maybe the smile was forgiveness, and that notion shed enough light that the black hole in his belly was overwhelmed, and he was able to relax a little. Prior to the thought making passage through his head, he closed his eyes and his lips curled, parting over to show his teeth. There was warmth made plain by the pink glow on his pallid cheeks.

Hikari closed her eyes, put her hand over where her heart was meant to be, and exhaled a small sigh. _I was right. My emotions are coming back because Sora's the wielder of the Keyblade, not anything like "love conquers all." Jiminy might think he's someone's conscience, but that doesn't mean he knows my feelings. I let him get to my head._

When Sora accidentally brushed against her again, she did not blush.

* * *

The next morning saw Sai, Krystal, and Hikari in the Coliseum stands as Sora, Donald, and Goofy squeezed in one more training session with Phil and Hercules before their departure to the next world. The test was mostly of speed, seeing as they were breaking as many urns of various sizes as possible before time ran out, but one could also see it as a test of strength gauging the amount of power exerted to destroy one of the objects. As an added incentive, they would be facing Hercules some rounds.

Leon and Yuffie had already returned to Traverse Town, though the latter complained that in spite of all their trouble they had no Spell or treasure to show for it. No one was sure of the whereabouts of Cloud, but it was suspected he still hung around the Coliseum somewhere.

Sitting in the same row, the three dark-haired ninja said little as they watched Sora and the gang scramble to destroy the urns (ironically bearing Hercules's countenance) at a quicker rate than Herc.

"Hey, Hikari," Krystal began, "have you heard of someone called. . . ." She looked down and asked in a small voice. "Orochimaru?"

Hikari glanced at her side-long. "Why?"

The Hyuuga lifted her feet so her toes touched the bench in front of her; her knees and heels were together, and her hands laid on top of one another on the former. Her shoulders were shrugged up to her ears as a dry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You had markings like Uchiha's. I noticed when you carried me. First I thought you were him, or I was dreaming, but then I realized that's not right.

"See. . . ." The half-smile was gone. "I think Uchiha went looking for Orochimaru, after he dumped me here."

Narrowing her eyes with a frown, the silver-eyed teen gave Krystal her full attention. "Why would you say that?"

"Well . . . Orochimaru himself said someday that Uchiha would seek him for power. We were attacked during the second part of the Chuunin Exams. He . . . ," she placed her hand on the curve of her neck, ". . . _bit_ Uchiha, left a mark on his neck. Called it a 'curse mark.' He wants power because he's an avenger, and his dream is to—," she paused, corrected herself, "—his _ambition_ is to kill his brother. Orochimaru promised that for him."

"Well, if Orochimaru's helping anyone, it'll ultimately be himself," said Hikari; this warranted inquiry from Krystal. "After I ran away, he found me. I was mad at the village—the world—for shunning me, and I bit the forbidden fruit for the first time. He took me in." _And, for awhile, I . . . looked up to him._

Averting her eyes in shame, she continued, "I won't get into detail about my feelings, but I thought he cared about me. Until he found another, more suitable, vessel." Her fingers toyed with the Shikotsumyaku gem. "He wasn't up front about it, but I remember bits of conversation I overheard and understand what they mean now.

"Orochimaru is a scientist. He experimented on others—take for example the curse mark—and himself, too. He figured out a way to switch bodies and put off death in order to learn _all_ jutsu, at the price of the chosen vessel's life. The Sharingan would be pretty useful in that, isn't that right?"

Krystal's eyes widened and her blood turned cold. Slowly, her hand touched her throat. "He'll . . . he'll kill Sasuke?"

"Don't be alarmed. Not yet." She calmly stared forward. "Recently he came after me, but I know I'm not his first choice. He was desperate. Needed a body quick, and happened to see me. He took whatever body he could find, or else he would've died. And he has to wait another three years before he can switch to another body. He'll want to train him during that time."

"I . . . guess you're right," the girl said slowly; the uncertainty in her voice was reflected in her face.

They all sat in silence for awhile, watching the urns disappear. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all working as a team, lending a hand toward one another and combining their power when they approached one of the larger targets. There was no question it was hard work, yet they were having an indubitably jovial time.

Hikari sat with her feet on the floor of the row and her hands in her lap. Her eyes continued to look forward, but one viewing her profile would see her bangs blocking them. She was not smiling or frowning. "Krystal . . . do you think that, if your mom didn't get mad, we'd've . . . been friends?

She looked at her, surprised by the question; it was obvious! She was blushing. "Yeah, of course. I liked hanging out with you that day. I was really sad when you left. . . ."

The grey-eyed teen reacted, turning a fraction; her bangs still covered her eyes. A rosy tinge colored her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but Krystal spoke again. "I'm sor—"

"My mom's a jerk, she's so uptight. She never gives anyone the benefit of the doubt, believes too strongly in stupid stuff like 'guilt by association.' She's my mom, so I love her an' all, but . . . she just gets things wrong sometimes." She averted her eyes and smiled with a look of nostalgia, playing with the curl in front of her ear. "And I knew it then. I was gonna sit next to ya in class and everything the next day, but. . . ." She stopped smiling. "You were gone. So I comforted Naruto.

"When you came back, I still wanted to be friends with you, but I didn't know how to approach you; you were changed. . . . Guess now I know why."

Hikari closed her mouth and lowered her head. Her bangs casted a shadow over part of her face.

Krystal turned on her derriere, slid her feet from the bench, faced Hikari, and grabbed one of her hands like they were about to arm wrestle each other. This caused Hikari to face her as well, wearing a bewildered expression. Both had tomatoes for faces; the Hyuuga's was serious.

"But we can still be friends, can't we? I want to be friends with you!"

". . . ." Hikari blinked a few times, recovering from the abrupt proposition. Her mind took a second to compute, while her expression remained blank. Very soon she smiled—from the "heart"—and covered Krystal's hand with her free one. She nodded. "Mm!"

Smiling with a light chuckle, the pale-eyed kunoichi brought up her free hand as well.

At their sides now, crouched on the bench in front of them, Sai watched the pair with a shy look. "Um. . . ." Both girls looked at him. "I was feeling a little left out, and wondered if, maybe—," he looked down, blushed, and scratched his cheek with the pointer finger of his workable hand, "—I could join your conversation?"

Krystal laughed and said yes whilst Hikari nodded. All three smiled.

* * *

Hikari walked down the marble steps of a building near the outskirts of Thebes into a garden. Walking on a light stone path lined with green grass and white Greek columns, she passed a few cypress trees against the light brick fence lining the entire garden. The walkway led into a square enclosure.

The area was very romantic. Statues fashioned from white marble were placed everywhere, and the ground aside from what she had left behind was covered in grass. There were statues from a small cupid to statues of epic heroes (one of which was Hercules, exhibiting kindness as he held out a helping hand,) statues of men kissing women to a ballerina being lifted by a danseur. In the center was a fountain in which the latter was mounted. A slab of carved stone with many decorations, including the five muses, acted as a bench before it.

Cloud sat on the bench facing outward of the fountain, gazing before him at the little cupid; seeing as his expression was calculating, though, he was probably not seeing it. He did not acknowledge her until she sat down next to him, and even then it was nonverbal; he met her eyes.

"You look like you're waiting for someone," she commented.

"Not waiting for anyone."

"Mm." They sat in silence for a moment. A breeze blew through the garden, creating a few ripples on the fountain's surface and rustled the grass. "Cloud . . . you didn't go to Hades because you're trying to find your light, did you? You're trying to find your darkness, or the person that embodies it."

The blonde reacted and regarded her with both surprise and a hint of resentment. He did not like for others to know or understand what he was thinking. . . . "What happened with Hades's newest chum?"

"Thought you weren't interested," she teased lightly; though her face hardly yielded it. _Huh. He deflected the question. I only thought about it 'cause of Sasuke. . . . It makes more sense to use darkness to lure darkness, isn't that right? Sort of. He seems to me more like the kind of guy that has to prove of conquer something. . . ._ She conjured a mental image of Sasuke's profile and looked at it next to Cloud's. _And they brood the same. . . ._

"Turns out Sai had struck a deal with Hades, just like you, to kill Sora and Hercules. He, however, wanted to be in touch with his feelings—someone sealed his heart a long time ago." She turned her head toward him. "That reminds me. . . . What do you want for helping us save Krystal? I said I'd repay you. We're a little low on munny now though. . . ."

He faced forward and quietly thought it over. His deep, melancholy blue eyes scanned the scene, most of which had the statues of men kissing women. He blinked. "Close your eyes."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why . . . ?"

"Because you owe me."

"Right. . . ." She obeyed, but the suspicion was still present in the furrow of her brow, and her mouth was in a relaxed frown. She heard the rustle of his clothing, particularly his cape, as he stood up. A shadow was partly cast over her, as if he stood in front of her.

"Keep them closed," he directed, and had he not said so she would have done more than dither when the claws of his left hand touched her face. Then, she felt the blonde's lips touch hers.

"Mm!" It took all of her self-control to keep her eyes shut as her body turned rigid. Blood sprinted to her cheeks, red as Cloud's cape with her pale complexion, and her lips remained still, molded against his bottom lip like it was the handle of a kunai—the best her inexperienced lips could do.

She did not open her eyes until Cloud drew away and his hand left her cheek. He took a step back, as emotionless as before. "Now we're even."

Hikari averted her eyes and covered her mouth with her arm. _That was my first kiss. . . . Not that that part really bugs me, but—why did he do it? Right after I decide I'm not in love with Sora, Cloud. . . ._Her eyes narrowed suspiciously once more.

His lips were stiff, too. Not that she knew different, she had not felt like she was receiving any emotion from him, any feeling. If someone had feelings for someone else, there would have been a little more passion, little force, little feeling. Even afterwards he was not expressing anything.

She raised a brow at him. "You stole my first kiss . . . to confuse me, because you don't want me to know what's going on in your head . . . just like how you act like you don't care, but you really do." Lowering her arm, she added, "Right?"

He averted his eyes with a mixed look of shame—that she figured it out so quickly—and remorse—just a little, for kidnapping her first kiss. Moreover, it sounded rather foolish when spoken aloud. ". . . Sorry."

She scratched the back of her head. "I'm not sentimental about my first kiss," she admitted—though in the back of her mind she wondered if it was due to her "half-heart" and added, "but . . . I don't need a second one any time soon. . . . Okay?" She smiled.

"Mm."

_This isn't going into Jiminy's journal._

**End of Chapter Twenty-seven**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-Eight: Stirrings

The girl who had replaced Kairi—Hikari, though he was unaware of her name—walked a few feet into the chamber with Sora and his two new best friends close behind. She crossed her arms. "A whale. Stuck . . . in a whale." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Is this for real? This could be a dream. Nightmare? Haven't had one of those yet. Whales don't grow this big. We had some pretty big toads, and slugs, but . . . this would swallow a world, no way could it live in it. . . ."

* * *

Hola~! Sorry for the wait, I kinda didn't wanna type anything up XD And then I just didn't wanna get on the computer. . . . The last week it's been laziness, but the month preceding was basically distraction. ANYWAY~!

How ya like it? Really long, ne? Probably won't be making too many this long since Quizilla cuts it off, but *shrugs* I think five thousand words to six thousand is a good place to stay in, so I'll stick with that.

So, this chapter ends this round of the Coliseum arc! I intend to revisit this world perhaps one more time in the future, then that's it until I tackle the KHII portion of WDTL, Delusion of Dusk. Can only leave Hades runnin' around so long, ne? That one will probably be a short arc. . . .

I'm going to take this moment to address the CloudXHiki kiss. This was on complete impulse, and had not been planned prior to this arc XD I am a bit of a Cloud fangirl, and I for some reason wanted him to kiss Hiki. In the coupling poll I have on Fanfiction and Quizilla, he ranks fourth and third respectively, so I guess it's also a bone thrown to CloudXHiki fans. **Cloud does not have feelings for Hiki, however; this is not the couple I will pursue with this story.** Sorry. Maybe I'll play with it in the future, but it's not gonna develop to anything serious I don't think. Just gettin' that outta the way now XD

I think that's all I want to say. Sora ranks number one on both polls, for those that are curious—however, seeing as not every single reader voted, it's more of a sample, so the actual ratio of SoraXHiki, RikuXHiki, or OtherXHiki fans very, but it is a good indicator nevertheless.

Yep, definitely all I want to say. Any questions? **Review please. God bless.**


	28. Stirrings

Recappy From the Last Chappy:He averted his eyes with a mixed look of shame—that she figured it out so quickly—and remorse—just a little, for kidnapping her first kiss. Moreover, it sounded rather foolish when spoken aloud. ". . . Sorry."

She scratched the back of her head. "I'm not sentimental about my first kiss," she admitted—though in the back of her mind she wondered if it was due to her "half-heart" and added, "but . . . I don't need a second one any time soon. . . . Okay?" She smiled.

"Mm."

_This isn't going into Jiminy's journal._

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Stirrings**

"_Yeah, right. You're making that up, Sora," I sneered, crossing my arms. The heat from the campfire warmed my skin, and the light gave it an orange tint. The four of us sat around the fire on the beach of the Main Island in front of the fence separating the sands from the residences. It was dark, so the lamps were lit._

_Sora's cheeks puffed up and he scooted to the edge of the log he sat on. He was bringing his hands to his chest, trying to convince me. "No, it's true, Riku! Everybody says so! And you'll __**only**__ see her at sunset."_

_Sharing a log with him and wearing his jacket draped over her shoulders__—__I'd tease him about that later__—__Kairi chuckled. The marshmallow at the end of the long metal fork she held hovered over the flames. "Alright, what are you two fighting over now?"_

_It was almost three years ago, not long after Naruto was added to our group. He had just shown up on the beach one day, just like Kairi, but with one difference: he still had all his memories of his old world. He was sitting on the log across from Sora and Kairi, holding the bag of marshmallows in one hand and the fork in the other._

"_You heard the story, right Kairi? About the ghost girl that appears at sunset?" Sora asked, turning to her._

_I leaned back. "This is the first time __**I've**__ heard about it."_

_Naruto's face paled, but he acted cool. "Ghost?" He gave a knuckleheaded grin and scratched the back of his head; he almost would've had us fooled, but the fire's light made the nervous sweat at his temple glisten. "Ghosts don't exist! . . . Right?"_

_When she regarded him cluelessly, he gave a minuscule sigh, closed his eyes, and faced the fire. "Well, Selphie told me about it." The flickering flame cast shadows on his face, setting a grim tone for his tale as he opened his eyes. For some reason, he spoke in a whisper._

"_Okay. You know that kid, the one they say left the islands for good one day? He used to think of these islands like a prison, surrounded by water. He wanted to get out of here, really badly. But there was one thing that made him stay for just awhile: a girl._

"_They were young and in love, maybe a little older than us__—__they might've barely turned adults. They spent every day together. But when he asked her to come with him . . . she said no."_

_No? Why in the world would someone turn down the chance to leave? Psh, this story was fake. I knew it as soon as he said that. Had to be. . . . I shifted on the log._

"_She wanted to stay. She loved peaceful island life, and wanted to settle__—__she really wanted to with him." Like he felt some sympathy for the lovers__—__sap that he is__—__he looked at the fire with sad eyes. "He left the islands one day without saying goodbye._

"_She was distraught. She didn't want to believe he was gone for good, her heart wouldn't give up hope. Every sunset she was at the water's edge, crying, just waiting for him . . . but he never came back. Then one day the tide came in too high, and a strong current swept her out to open sea. She drowned."_

_Abruptly, he glanced from under his brow and let the fire play at the shadows around his face. His voice became quiet, almost eerie, and totally somber. "They say that at sunset . . . you can still see her ghost at the shore, still waiting. . . ."_

_I saw Naruto shudder out of the corner of my eye. Kairi was quiet, too. She was hesitant, and almost half-hearted, when she said, "Hehe . . . that does sound like the kind of romantic story Selphie would think up."_

_The blonde laughed nervously and said, "Yeah! And g-ghosts? Get real! Ha ha . . . what kind of ghost would come out at sunset__—__even if it was real!"_

"_But it's true!" Sora insisted. "Tidus saw her!"_

"_You're going to believe something 'cause Tidus says he saw it?" I spoke. I uncrossed my arms and picked up the stick laying next to me. It was long and thick in terms of sticks, but I only needed one hand. "He probably wasn't getting enough oxygen to his head practicing for blitzball. Seeing things." I used the stick to shift one of the small logs in the fire, stabilize the structure. Embers took to the air. I was serious. "Anyway, there's no way that's true. Who in their right mind would want to stay here?"_

—_Little did I know, Tidus wasn't hallucinating. He had been holding his breath, but there actually had been a spirit standing at the shore, looking outward. It happened to be sunset. She was young, and despite the soft ocean breeze, her hair and clothes were undisturbed. The water and the shells passed through her ankles, not around. There had been sorrow in her face._

_When Tidus screamed, putting the girl's appearance together with the story, she looked at him with a surprised expression and disappeared._

_I didn't believe any of it . . . until I talked to the girl Tidus saw myself__—_

_After hearing the story, I felt sometimes like someone was watching me. There was some presence, especially when I was alone. I figured it was all in my head. I kind of wanted it to be her. I guess I was curious; I really wanted to know. Why would someone __**not**__ leave this place, given the chance?_

_At the base of a tree on the island where we played as kids and hang out now as teens, inside the secret place, there's a door. It's made of wood, but there aren't any knobs or handles, so there's no way of opening it. The rocks down there have drawings all over them, sketched by kids over the years. Some I'd done myself, just because; pictures of what I imagined to be out there._

_Not very long after I'd heard the story, I went to visit the door. I'd had the thought then that the door might've opened to another world, if it would ever open at all. Sometimes I'd look at it and try to find some hidden mechanism that would magically open it, like out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon . . . but none of it worked._

_That was the day I met her._

_As I stood near the path to the secret place's opening, she was admiring drawings on the rocks, leaning forward a little with her fingers laced below the small of her back. She almost appeared to be real; only a very faint outline of the drawings on the other side of her gave away that she was lightly transparent._

_I just stared at her for a few seconds with my mouth open. The last time Sora'd told me about a monster or ghost, it was just the wind howling among the shadows of this very spot. I felt a knot in my stomach, but I wasn't scared__—__not scared enough to leave, at least. If she really was the girl from Sora's story, there's something I wanted to know from her. I ignored the feeling in my stomach and the moisture on my brow and scowled. "Why didn't you leave with him?"_

_She jumped and turned partly toward me, staring at me over her shoulder. The tips of her medium-length blonde locks softly touched her face and brushed down passed her shoulders; her bangs parted over her left eye, which stared with the other widely._

_My heart rate quickened__—__from nerves._

"_Wh. . . . Ah . . . ?" She raised her arms in front of her defensively. Especially lacking what substance that would've made her opaque, she seemed vulnerable. "How can you . . . see me?"_

"_You're here, right? If you're real, shouldn't I be able to see you?" I countered._

"_Yes, but . . . ," she was still shocked, still regarding me the same way. "After that boy freaked out, I decided I didn't want to be seen by anyone. No one can see me if I don't want them to. . . ." She turned her head. "It worked that way up 'til now, at least. . . ."_

_I didn't get it at the time. When I think back on it now, I guess that meant some part of her__—__a dominant one__—__wanted to be visible, whether it was to me or at least one person. She never showed herself to anyone else, though._

"_Are you going to answer my question?" I asked impatiently, resting my fist on my hip._

_She looked like she just remembered I'd asked something. "Oh. Um . . . . Well, I don't get the question. Who's 'him,' and where did he go?"_

_I frowned. "Your lover; he left this world. Aren't you the ghost of the girl from the story? The one that drowned and haunts the island at sunset?"_

_She tilted her head. "If I were, would I be here? It's not sunset." Looking away, she lowered her eyelids and let her lashes cover her eyes. She shook her head. "Mm-mm. I'm not that kind of ghost. Not the dead kind." She looked at me in the eye. "I'm someone's heart."_

* * *

Riku navigated the chambers of Monstro—a whale of Jiminy's world—with a complicated expression, something of nostalgia mixed with longing and frustration as he thought back to those times. Longing for the friendships, the ties; not for his home world.

Walking along the upper portion of Chamber 1, which was very close to the mouth of the whale, he was surrounded by purple walls with constantly functioning innards. Something of a world in itself, Monstro had many chambers like this—there were so few differences, and in some ways the anatomy defied what t is typically expected of a living being—it was rather labyrinthine.

He was about to step through a thin blue membrane that would take him to a new portion of the massive mammal when voices drew his attention to the area below. Certain he recognized those voices, he walked toward the edge of the higher platform and looked down. The complexity of his previous expression had simplified to a scowl.

The girl who had replaced Kairi—Hikari, though he was unaware of her name—walked a few feet into the chamber with Sora and his two new best friends close behind. She crossed her arms. "A whale. Stuck . . . in a whale." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Is this for real? This could be a dream. Nightmare? Haven't had one of those yet. Whales don't grow this big. We had some pretty big toads, and slugs, but . . . this would swallow a world, no way could it live in it. . . ."

Uncrossing her arms and scratching the nape of her neck, she muttered, "Well, if I hadn't put off changing the thrusters for Firaga-G ones, this probably wouldn't've happened. Like to think those would've had enough force to fight the sucking power of this thing."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped behind her and regarded the other end of the chamber, where a little wooden puppet stood halfway in the next chamber's membrane. Riku reacted to the sight of him. A wooden puppet boy with a heart yet no strings, one with his own will. . . .

The brunette approached the puppet. "What are you doing? Come on, let's go back." He motioned toward the mouth.

Goofy added, "You know, Geppeto's awfully worried about you."

"Pinocchio, stop playing around! This is no time for games!" He, Hikari, Donald, and Goofy turned their backs, intending for the puppet to follow. He sounded irritated; probably because, from what Riku had heard, they had ended up within this beast by accident.

Riku smirked at their misfortune and jumped down from the upper platform between the group and Pinocchio; he landed in a crouch, most of the shock absorbed by Monstro's squishy innards, thus the sound was nil. He rose, turned to them, and taunted, "But Sora, I thought you liked games—," Sora whipped around, "—Or are you too cool to play them, now that you have the Keyblade?"

"Riku?" Everyone else turned to see. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Just playing with Pinocchio," the silver-haired teen replied with a one-armed shrug.

A little annoyed, he said, "You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you find her?" He was leaning forward with his hands closed, a little hopeful.

Placing his fists on his hips, he teased him. "Maybe. Catch us and maybe I'll tell you what I know."

"Come on!" Sora stomped forward, a little mad. Riku took Pinocchio's hand and ran.

Hikari followed him with an inquiring scowl, bringing up her hand to cover the discomfort in her chest. Her fingers lightly brushed against the cloth of her shirt and fishnet. Her lips parted.

* * *

Riku stopped quite a few chambers ahead, deep enough in the maze that it would certainly shake off Sora and his posse for a bit; he felt a little prideful of that. He regretted, withal, that he had lost Pinocchio in the process. He glanced back down the road he had taken and considered retracing his steps part of the way.

Maleficent appeared off to his side, though he had not seen her manifest. With false concern, she inquired, "Why do you still care about the boy?" Her scarlet lips were curled when Riku turned—a faint kindness, perhaps even a mocking smile. "He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all."

"I don't care about him," he said with faltering conviction. "I was just messing with him a little."

"Oh, really?" she smirked. "Of course you were." Nonchalantly, she strolled passed him; he followed her with his gaze. In a friendly, warning tone, she added, "Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it." Magic gathered around her, and her body faded from the area.

As she left, Riku yelled, "Mind your own business!" Then he felt a weak stirring in his chest and raised his hand to cover it. He averted his scowl in shame, his mouth a straight line. He clicked his tongue. "You too. . . ."

The sound of Pinocchio's wooden joints clanking entered the area, bringing the teen to look back. He watched the puppet continue into the bowels. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Hikari ran in shortly after; they stopped upon seeing the teen's posterior.

"Riku!" the Keybearer exclaimed. His frustration was clear, both in his voice and the way he looked at him when he turned. "What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Do you understand what you're doing?"

With obvious disdain, the addressed teen said, "I could ask you the same thing, Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days." Sora glanced at the Keyblade with some contrition. "Do you even want to save Kairi?"

His arm fell to his side limply and his grip on the handle loosened but did not fail. He looked down; his spiky hair shielded his eyes. "I do."

Pinocchio's scream came from the bowels.

* * *

_I wonder about it each night before I sleep. Will I dream again? And if I do, will __**he**__ be in it? Hair silver as the moon, strong muscles, soothing smile—and eyes that look greener every time I see him. He's one of the reasons why I look forward to going to sleep, but I'm not really sure why that is._

_But when I saw him again, face-to-face, I don't know what was going on. I kept my mouth shut because, even though I know him in my dreams, I'm actually inconsequential to him; I know it. He cares about that blonde girl, the one whose role I for some reason play in my dreams. In reality, I'm the chick that tried getting in his way when he kidnapped Alice._

_Ah . . . Alice. . . ._

_He's different from my dreams; it leaves me uneasy, and it irritates me that I don't know why._

_. . . I don't care for being dense._

Hikari was the first one to enter the bowels, determined to distract herself from these upsetting thoughts. She entered a circular chamber with a number of pink pods lining the walls and gastric juice pooled on the floor. In the center, a large Heartless was seated on the platform.

The Heartless had two long, turquoise, tentacle arms and a purple-cage-like body large enough that Pinocchio could be seen through the barred stomach. "Get me out of here!" the puppet cried. "It's scary in here!"

Everyone was ready to rush in and take on the Parasite Cage, and most stepped forward with the first motion of their attack or syllable of their spell performed, but the Heartless seemed to have another idea. Its tentacle arms reached for the ceiling, fixed themselves there, and its body lifted itself from the ground, where a hole was. The cage parted like a mouth and let Pinocchio fall into the hole. Riku was the first to jump in after him.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hikari hesitated, torn between following the puppet and staying behind to stop the Parasite Cage, seeing as fighting the Heartless was part of their mission. However, the cage retreated, swung itself down from the ceiling and into the next chamber.

Hikari lowered the kunai she had procured and watched it leave with an uneasy scowl; part of her had been looking forward to the distraction, to releasing some of this frustration spawning from her density. Moreover, Heartless did not usually run away, particularly the large ones. Riku had been way to ready to follow Pinocchio. . . .

Dropping through the hole brought the quartet back to the mouth of Monstro, where they had begun. They landed on Geppetto's—Pinocchio's father's—ship. The water levels dropped.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" pleaded the old clockmaker. The sorrow was apparent in his weathered eyes, and the wearing of gravity on his joints showed more than ever. "Please! Give me back my son!"

Riku stood on a ledge protruding from the wall of the mouth, or inner cheek. Unconscious, in his arm, was Pinocchio. "Sorry, old man, I have some unfinished business with this puppet."

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!"

"He is unusual," he conceded. "Not many puppets have hearts." He hesitated and looked down at the wooden boy. "I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."

Both Sora and Hikari reacted, though their reasons for doing so differed. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about Kairi?" the brunette inquired.

Riku scowled. "What do you care about her?" He carried Pinocchio with him into the throat.

Hikari clicked her tongue and scowled at him, trembling as her feelings tried bubbling toward the surface. Before her upset could become totally evident, she ran to the end of the plank, crouched, and sprang up to the ledge the silver-haired teen had been standing on. Sora and the rest gawked—partly due to the lack of warning and partly due to the nature of the move itself; they knew they would not be able to make a jump like that themselves. While she followed Riku's footsteps, they went toward the towers leading up to the ledge—make-shift staircases. They had to jump into the water.

"What is she thinking?" Sora wondered aloud. _What is __**Riku**__ thinking?_

* * *

When Hikari entered the stomach—which appeared strikingly similar to the bowels—Pinocchio was seated against the wall, limp and unconscious at a glance. That was the most she gave him when she was running in, stopping a few feet passed the threshold; then her eyes were on Riku's back.

The boy turned and leered back at her, though he seemed minutely surprised by her presence. Why was the _replacement_ the first one to come running? She did not exactly look like the Good Samaritan type—particularly with that purple-shaded, stony-eyed gaze of hers. "What do you want?"

The kunoichi maintained calm exterior, though her shoulders rose and fell as she inhaled and exhaled accented breaths through parted lips. Her cheeks were flushed. "First the innocent criminal, and now the little wooden boy? Keep this up, and Sora's soon bound to discover this hobby of yours, isn't that right?"

He frowned. _Innocent criminal? The girl from Wonderland?_ Abruptly he remembered that he had actually exchanged a few words with this girl prior to now—when he had apprehended Alice. "You. . . . Tch. Why do you insist on getting in the way?"

"I don't mean to. At least, with Alice and Pinocchio, it's not personal." She placed her fists on her hips and leaned forward, shifting her weight slightly to her left leg; the stance struck Riku strange—in a familiar sense, and there was something about her glare. "I want you to stop."

"Stop?"

"Stop this game. Sora's been looking everywhere for you—and Kairi—while you've been off playing with the darkness. And for some reason, you're acting petty." She looked at the floor. "He cares about you both. He talks about you all the time, and has worked hard to keep smiling even when he might be getting discouraged. . . ." Once more she met his gaze; her leer was stone cold. "You're hurting him."

A chill ran down his spine as he stared at this girl's face. For the first time he looked at her and truly _saw_ her, studied her features. She had very pale skin—practically pearlescent—like she had spent much time within shadows, very little in the sun. Conversely, her hair was as black as a Shadow Heartless's flesh. The way her hair framed her physiognomy—soft, per the edge in her expression—reminded him of someone important.

Mentally he conjured the image of the blonde wraith and compared it to the girl. The stance, body shape, shape of their faces, hairstyles, and most of all their eyes—identical? _Can't be. . . ._ "Do I know you from somewhere? Other than Wonderland?"

She straightened, taken aback. The way her lips parted in silent query and her eyelashes fluttered when she blinked were even the same. "Wh. . . . Ah . . . ?"Her cheeks reddened. _Mostly from my dreams. . . ._ "What are you talking about?"

"Tell me your name."

". . . ." For a few long seconds she stared at him; neither wavered. Hikari sustained an outward stillness, despite some foreign happenings within. She was becoming acquainted with the turmoil that had taken to manifesting in her stomach region, but now she felt something odd with her throat. There was an abrupt tightness, like it was sore; mild though it was.

Not wanting to divulge this feeble symptom to him, she did not reach to touch her throat as she wished. She simply swallowed, kept her eyes on him, and opened her mouth to reply, "—Hi—," but then something even more curious than any physical reaction she had experienced to date on this adventure occurred: her cheek felt wet.

Before she could complete even the first syllable of her name, the vision in her left eye became watery and she felt something tread in a single line down her cheek—like a solitary drop of rain catching on the window's glass. She blinked to clear her eyes and lifted one hand to the wet spot; on the back of her closed hand, a single dew of moisture was picked up, and she looked at it with wide eyes.

The tears continued to come, forced to flow when she tried blinking their obscurity away. She stared at the tiny dew on her hand and took a few small steps back, lifting her other hand to tentatively brush the tips of her fingers against those sprinkling. Riku appeared surprised as well.

Hikari's voice projected to a higher pitch as she barely uttered anything around her tightening throat. "Wh-what? How can I be . . . ? It's not possible. . . . Definitely not possible. . . ." She retreated further.

Behind her, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the stomach running, Keybearer in the lead. Sounding a little winded, since having taken the scenic route, he called, "Hiki! There you are!"

Riku reacted, but kept his cool, only making a minuscule utterance and broadening his eyes a fraction. _It really is her. . . ._

Sora approached Hikari and began, "Why did you go so far ahead?—," but stopped when he saw her tears. "Huh? Hey, what's going on? Are you—?"

Instead of allowing him to finish, she grit her teeth, turned on her heel, and ran; her sole words were an involuntary sob.

Thousands of questions were raising themselves in the brunette's over-occupied noggin as he found himself torn in deciding what step to next take. He retreated a little as if to follow Hikari and discern her problem, but then he looked at Pinocchio and Riku, remembering he had promised Geppetto his little boy.

In the end, he faced his sought-after best friend. "Let Pinocchio go, Riku."

Riku directed his gaze from where Hikari's posterior had disappeared to Sora. "A puppet that's lost its heart to the Heartless. . . . Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi." Taking a step forward, he extended his hand. "How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together."

Little boy blues stared at that hand, calculating, dithering, melancholy. They diverted, and his mouth and brow moved to form a frown. Silently he crouched into his fighting stance and opened his hands for the summoned Keyblade.

"What?" Whether it was a trick of the light or not, the silver-haired teen's eyes were less cyan and more green; his hand fell to his side, and he raised his voice. "You'd rather fight me? _Over a puppet that has no heart?_"

"Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience."

He scowled. "Conscience?"

"You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!"

"Then you leave me no choice."

Meanwhile, Jiminy was running the distance between himself and the wooden boy he, as a conscience, had been charged with. Despite the professional relationship, there was a genuine compassion and concern in Jiminy's voice as he called his name, thus proving a friendship. "Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" He was near tears.

Only able to provide a listless response, the puppet opened his eyes part of the way; he tried to raise his head, but only succeeded by about an inch. "Jiminy . . . I'm not gonna make it," he said with a small cough and closed his eyes, letting his head fall. The cricket touched his leg.

Then, there was light—small rays of hope—collecting on the puppet's face. Pinocchio lifted his head with ease when his nose grew, and grinned. "Oh! I guess I'm okay!"

Riku narrowed his eyes at them and clicked his tongue. At the same time as when he opened a corridor of darkness, a giant slew of Heartless appeared between him and his—_former_—friend. He disappeared into the portal, and it closed behind him.

Donald and Goofy drew their weapons, backs against Sora's, while Pinocchio scurried toward the exit along the perimeter. One by one, they extinguished the Heartless; the strongest being only moderately difficult. They took simply a few minutes to dispose of them, exerting a marginal portion of their stamina. When they finished, the chamber was empty.

Sora lowered his Keyblade and stared at the floor, absolutely crestfallen. "Riku . . . how could this happen?" He closed his eyes and thought back to old times on the islands, before Naruto or even Kairi had appeared. They had grown up together. His dad used to row them out to the island on which they played when they were too young to do it themselves. They explored the Secret Place together when he thought he'd heard a monster inside.

Additional memories flashed through his head like pictures in a photo album. Full of smiling, silly, or sometimes perturbed or surprised faces; bursting with won or lost challenges, the toy swords they carried around up until the day Destiny Islands was destroyed.

Then he tried excluding Riku from the image. Like a match was lit to the corner of each photo, memories were consumed by flame. Every face was charred.

"Come on, Sora!" Donald called from the doorway with Goofy. "We have to go find Hiki now!"

"Gawrsh, she seemed pretty upset."

The brunette looked their way and nodded; he dismissed the Keyblade. "Let's go find her."

Could it be true that his and Riku's friendship was reduced to ashes?

**End of Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Tale of Two Hiki's

Sora retracted his hand and took his foot out of his mouth, embarrassed and rather confused. He tried not to let her rejection—so soon after Riku's—get to him, but his tone was certainly not of his norm. "What's the matter with you?"

She bit her lip to cease its quiver and averted her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't know, I . . . I don't understand. I haven't cried . . . in three years. I shouldn't have _any_ of these feelings." Once more she regarded him with nigh resentment. "It's all your fault. Since I met you, my emotions have been returning—and there's no reason for them to be back like this!"

* * *

Fun fact: the idea of Hiki crying in the presence of Riku was inspired one time when I was listening to Cryin' by Metallica (though it was being performed by Adam Lambert.) Since then, whenever I think of that scene, and as I was writing it, that song popped into my head. _I was cryin' when I met you, now I tryin' to forget you. . . ._

The tale in the beginning of the chapter, about the two lovers, is not actually from Kingdom Hearts or Naruto and probably won't play any significant role later on. However, it was based off of the story in Birth by Sleep about the "kid who got off the islands a long time," in reference to a youthful Master Xehanort. Again, it probably won't play a part later, especially since at the moment I do not plan to have a separate series for a WDTL prequel. My best ideas for it are simple references or meetings in the Chain of Memories crossover-sequel, Road to Dawn.

A lot of the scenes in this chapter do come from the actual visit to Monstro in Kingdom Hearts, but as always I tried adding to it, my own twists and flairs to make it more interesting and pertinent. Yaaaaaaaaay.

Sorry if the Parasite Cage scene was unsatisfying. I was definitely not in the mood to write a fight scene just then. Totally brought on MAJOR writer's block. I will attempt incorporating it later, I think. Originally meant for the Monstro chapters to number only to two, but a third chapter is definite.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	29. A Tale of Two Hiki's

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Then he tried excluding Riku from the image. Like a match was lit to the corner of each photo, memories were consumed by flame. Every face was charred.

"Come on, Sora!" Donald called from the doorway with Goofy. "We have to go find Hiki now!"

"Gawrsh, she seemed pretty upset."

The brunette looked their way and nodded; he dismissed the Keyblade. "Let's go find her."

Could it be true that his and Riku's friendship was reduced to ashes?

**Chapter Twenty-nine: A Tale of Two Hiki's**

The tears would not stop coming. Crouched in some arbitrary chamber within the labyrinthine Monstro, Hikari continued to feel them run down her face no matter how she tried to cease their descent. She held her arms so tightly in an attempt to displace this feeling she was sure to leave marks, and her face was as red as a tomato due to her effort in trying to contain herself.

The involuntary sounds she made when she held in too much echoed against the walls and drew Sora, Donald, and Goofy to her location. She was in the far back of the chamber facing the wall with her forehead almost touching it. They approached her slowly; quietly they looked at one another, asking what they should do.

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora in the end, wordlessly volunteering him for the job. He scratched the back of his head. "Um. . . ." Hesitantly, he reached for her shoulder.

As if she had eyes in the back of her skull, cat-like reflexes were awoken as she reeled away from his touch, tumbling out of the crouch onto her bottom. She had her back to the wall and glared at him heatedly. "Don't _touch_ me! Don't . . . mm-mm!"

Sora retracted his hand and took his foot out of his mouth, embarrassed and rather confused. He tried not to let her rejection—so soon after Riku's—get to him, but his tone was certainly not of his norm. "What's the matter with you?"

She bit her lip to cease its quiver and averted her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't know, I . . . I don't understand. I haven't cried . . . in three years. I shouldn't have _any_ of these feelings." Once more she regarded him with nigh resentment. "It's all your fault. Since I met you, my emotions have been returning—and there's no reason for them to be back like this!"

He regarded her quizzically. "Huh? What're you talking about? I don't get it."

She responded with more rage. "I lost my heart three years ago! I'm supposed to be heartless—but ever since I met you, for some reason it doesn't seem to be so true!" More morosely, she added, "I don't . . . understand it either. . . ." _And Riku . . . why does he keep affecting me?_

All three of the boys were stunned, gawking at her with their jaws to the floor. It was Donald who recovered first—shaking away the expression—and scowled, appearing puzzled if not incredulous. "What do you mean 'heartless'?"

The kunoichi inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes yet again; they were red, and most likely soon to be swollen if she did not find a way toward cessation of tears. Composing herself, she sniveled and gave her answer a bit more calmly, drawing strength from the First Hokage necklace which she pressed against her collarbone.

"Three years ago, my brother stole my heart. He's a jinchuuriki, remember? Well, when darkness ate up my world, it was too much for him and he lost control. The Nine-Tailed Fox basically took over. The Nine-Tails' cloak covered him, and he wasn't himself. He took my heart, but my body didn't disappear." She wiped her eyes again; since she could see more clearly now, and her eyes felt almost dry, it seemed like perhaps for the last time. "That's the real reason why I have to find my brother . . . so I can have it back!"

They were speechless. They could not think of words, let alone speak them.

Discomforted by the silence, she tried to continue. "But Sora—ah. . . ." She hesitated, remembering Jiminy's theory. Would Sora misunderstand as well? She blushed and averted her eyes. "Sora . . . you make me feel like I have a heart. It didn't make sense, but I think it's because you have the Keyblade, so . . . now it kinda does."

The brunette appeared confused. "Keyblade? You're not making much se—"

"Remember what you did for Sai? I think it's kind of the same thing, except for me, you've . . . unlocked some kind of connection. . . . It's the only explanation I have." Shutting her eyes, she lowered her head and slid her palm from her collarbone to the back of her neck. "And I'm . . . I'm sorry that I kept it secret from you, but. . . ."

"Ya were afraid that we wouldn't understand," finished Goofy for her.

She opened her eyes part of the way, but did not look at him. "I had to be cautious. I thought it wasn't important—and it isn't, really. I don't want your hearts . . . I just want mine. I thought I had to lie, so I could go with you guys." Her lip curled weakly. "You guys'd probably think I was a Heartless, or I was working with them—"

"We'd never think that!" Sora interrupted; Donald and Goofy were startled, Hikari was surprised. When she looked up at him, he was adamant; his hand was on his chest. "You've been fighting with us all this time _against_ the Heartless—how could we think you're one of them?

"So you were pretty distant in the beginning—," he looked away for a moment, "—and you didn't seem to care much about what happened to everyone. You were cold. . . ." His visage was a little red when he faced her again. "But you're our friend now! If someone or something doesn't have a heart, they can't have friends. . . . You can't feel so bad and be all that heartless, Hiki."

"A-hyuck! He's right," Goofy said with a smile. "Yer different from the Heartless fellahs, even if right now you don't have a heart. And even without it, we've seen how light it's gotta be!" He turned to Donald. "Right?"

The duck had his arms crossed and wore a familiar frown; the same he wore when he was annoyed or, at times, simply walking around. He sized her up, looked to be reevaluating her after assimilating this new information. "Aw. . . ." Turning his beak and putting his foot down, he said, "Well I'm not trusting her!"

"Donald!" the other two chorused.

Knowing there had to be at least one holdout—else wise it would have been too good to be true—Hikari was not surprised and closed her mouth humbly. She had been lucky Sora and Goofy so readily accepted her. She and Donald butted heads a lot over the years; for him to be as forgiving would have been a lot to ask.

"Ah, don't worry about him," said Sora in the end. He held his hand toward her. "He'll come around, you'll see."

She stared at his hand hesitantly and then looked up at his face. It was really going to be this easy. No questions asked. All she had to do was take his hand, and all would be forgiven. Before she knew it, she had accepted it and felt something stir within her chest.

They pulled at the same time, awkwardly bringing them together much closer than either one of them anticipated. To stop herself from colliding into him, she brought up her other hand as soon as her derriere left the ground and blocked him; since she had released his hand, both of her hands ended up on his chest, and his arms almost went around her. Tentatively, their eyes met.

Then Hikari felt strange. All of her motor function abruptly seemed to be taken from her control. She had no mastery over her body's movement, but she still felt very present. It was the same feeling as when she would play the role of the blonde wraith in her dreams. Her fingers closed over the cloth of his jacket.

Sora blushed and tried to pull away. "What do you think you're—?" he started, but became distracted from the rays of light peeking from under Hikari's fingertips. There were some visible strands of darkness that would have caused some alarm, had he not entered the same trance she appeared to be in.

The light—as well as a few fragmented-appearing pieces—were absorbed by Hikari and disappeared. Her hands completely released their grip on him, as did his on her, swinging down to their sides. Both of them took a few shaky steps away from one another, lifted their heads, closed their eyes, and fainted.

"_Wak!" _Donald and Goofy waddled and ran respectively , dropping in-between the fallen ones. "Hey! Sora! Hiki! Wake up!"

"Donald, what's goin' on?"

"I don't know!" The duck stared at them with a furrowed brow. "What can we do?"

Goofy did not have an answer.

* * *

She felt like she was submerged, some source of water kissing each portion of her body. Her hair billowed about her as she dove deeper, falling like one would from the sky. Her eyelids parted as well as her lips; bubbles escaped as she exhaled. Oddly, she found she was able to breathe.

Her body adjusted itself so she was slowly turning upright and the water changed to simple air. Her feet touched something solid as she was gently lowered onto a smooth surface. As soon as her toe touched it, she heard the sound of fluttering wings as dozens of doves suddenly sprang into the air, unveiling a large, stained glass station with many chips and breaks.

The glass station was suspended in a dark space and appeared like it was meant to be cylindrical; however, the breaks made its shape irregular. A row of glass squares led out from the side, but did not appear complete enough to be a bridge. It more resembled a plank.

It was quiet. Too quiet. . . .

"_Then let's talk."_

". . . !" The kunoichi twisted and about-faced, turning her head every which way in order to find the source of the voice; but she appeared to be alone. There was no place for one to hide in the emptiness.

"_Don't worry. You're not going crazy. Crazy people hear voices in their heads; this is the voice of your heart. Heh, people usually say you're __supposed__ to listen to your heart, isn't that right?"_

Hikari frowned and did not answer, thinking, _Somehow, I don't find comfort in that._ It was becoming rather exhausting, being subject to all of these mysteries—and, she had not quite recovered from her meltdown, so she was very on edge. She had grown weary of being toyed with, by people and the "universe."

"_You think so much, yet you've really figured out so little. All that thought, speculation, conjecture—yet you have nothing to show for it! Still so confused, you melted down. . . . Guess ignorance isn't always bliss, is it?"_

The ninja curled her hands into fists and frowned. "Dammit, talk to me straight! Or at least show me something that'll make some shred of sense from all this!" She leered up into the stillness. "If you're the voice of my 'heart,' where are you?"

True to form, the response was cryptic. Fractures radiated from the center of the glass and started to fall from under her feet, raining down into what appeared to be endless darkness. Simultaneously, she cringed and clutched her chest , feeling a sharp pain under her breast.

Falling in the black, slipping through the cracks, she quickly found herself on familiar—yet unfamiliar—white sands, landing much more softly than one would anticipate. She was on her feet, still holding what was now a dull, minor ache.

Violent winds whipped her hair about her face, but she could tell from how simply the earth was picked up by the mildest shift of her feet she was on a beach. She turned her head and pulled her hair back from her face by her brow, scanning the area.

The sky was stormy, a veritable maelstrom in par with what had occurred on that night of destruction three years ago. But it was not. She looked out into the dark waters of the sea, which crashed high on the shore. The eye of the storm raged with the same crimson, violet, and electric colors and forces in the sky, totally eclipsing the moon.

Coming up the beach, Keyblade in hand, Sora was frantically scanning the area, jumping on the sight of each new Shadow and subsequently disposing them with mediocre ability. He was obviously distressed, watching all he had known to be torn asunder and disappear.

His little boy blues glanced over her several times, missing her as a result of her not actually being part of the memory. His hair was also whipped every which way, sometimes blinding him briefly.

He reacted to the sight of someone in front of the secret place, thus drawing Hikari to look there as well. An unwell feeling began to churn her stomach, for the person she saw, doubled over and appearing to be a lump of orange, was Naruto.

The air turned thick, becoming saturated with a sinister blend of darkness and blood red chakra. It was obvious to her that he was transforming again. The Fox was taking over him. He had become a Heartless once more, on this world. . . .

There was no logical reason for the transmission, but Hikari somehow knew this was not a simple dream but a vivid remembrance—though she was uncertain to whom it belonged. The heaviness in her heart told her this was verity in spite of how incredulous it appeared. She regarded him with worry; her brow was furrowed and her lips were parted.

When Sora came up in her peripheral vision, she turned her head a little and saw that he was running toward her brother. Alarmed, she moved forward and was about to scream at him to turn back, but she realized it would not do any good. This was a memory. He could not see her; she doubted he could hear her.

The brunette yelled Naruto's name, stopping short of the visible darkness with a wary eye. He could hear the grunts and growls escaping from him—most resulting from pain and effort. "Hey! What's going on with you? Did the monsters get you?" he asked and reached out to nudge his shoulder. Before he touched him, Naruto's head snapped up, startling him.

Only a short distance away, Hikari was able to see it too. Crimson, blood-lusting eyes; defined, feral whiskers; animalistic fangs; nails that extended to claws. The first tail was forming off the Nine Tails' cloak, meaning Naruto was soon to be mindless if he was not already. Sora might have been burned had he touched him.

Naruto averted his narrowed eyes and growled, attempting to suppress the beast. "Sora . . . stay back. . . ." The next tail was bubbling out, and bits of skin started to peel off his face . . . he was struggling. "I can't . . . let it happen . . . again! Ngh . . . ngh. . . ."

_Again. . . ._ Truth be told, she had only seen this transformation twice, three times at the most. It made her ponder over the relationship between Naruto and the Nine-tailed Fox. She had never been able to tell whether he BECAME the Fox or if it OVERTOOK him, and she was convinced there was a difference. In one instance, it was simply a dark side of him, yet he still was in control; in another, he was like Hikari had been in her dreams as the blonde wraith, passively watching from inside yet not able to act of her own volition. She at one time believed the former. . . .

The struggle continued, and Naruto was losing. As he exerted himself, he squinted more and more; his efforts were verbalized more frequently. Finally, he started screeching. Dozens of Shadow Heartless spawned, attracted by the darkness and Sora's Keyblade, which he still held.

"Sora!" Naruto shouted; a chunk of his cheek peeled away from his face and was burned away by the chakra. Shards of light—pure, bright, unsullied light—accumulated at his chest and was suspended between the two. It sailed a small distance until it disappeared into Sora's chest.

The brunette stepped back, raising his arms and looking down at his chest. "Wh-what?"

The blonde shut his eyes and fought against the force directing him to hunker like an animal. He sensed he may be losing the battle. "Take . . . ngh . . . care of her . . . !"

One of the tails reached around and struck Sora, pushing him into a hurricane of wind that carried him up and away.

A pool of darkness opened up at Hikari's feet and rose like smoke, consuming her form. The stygian tendrils curled around her limbs, pulling her into the abyss. She struggled a little, tried to pull herself out of it while at the same time wondering why she was being pulled so suddenly into the reverie's events; the effort was meaningless.

She came to be in the same void as before, though in a different part of it. Gently she was lowered onto the face of another broken station; this one had a very steep angle. Her feet touched the glass, and whatever force that counteracted gravity disappeared; she slipped onto her rump and slid off the edge. At the last second, she grabbed on and was hanging by her fingertips; she concentrated chakra to stay there.

"_He really didn't understand what was going on; probably why he was so surprised to find out Naruto's a jinchuuriki, hmm?" The voiced sighed impatiently. "You're still having some trouble wrapping your head around this. Forget for a second logic. Deduct and infer. That's the function of the head, isn't that right?"_

Hikari mulled over the voice's reply as she tried climbing onto the station. She was a little annoyed that the voice was practically speaking in riddles, not talking to her straight, but she felt things should not have to be spelled out to her either. The memory had made it a little more obvious, what was going on.

She pulled herself up until her toes were supported by the edge. "Naruto gave Sora my heart when the Islands were falling apart . . . and . . . I think it's been inside him ever since. That's the real reason why I started feeling emotions."

_One could hear a smile in the voice. "Yes! It took a while to summon the strength, but once the bond between you and Sora was acknowledged, pieces of your heart could come to you little by little. A connection wasn't simply opened . . . you were actually receiving shards of your heart."_

Hikari piqued her brow. "Shards . . . ?"

A butterfly appeared out of thin air and landed on her shoulder, drawing her attention. It had blue wings and seemed to glow with its own light—just like the butterflies from the Waterfall Cavern in Deep Jungle.

She remembered the flood of emotions that had overcome her at the time and gave them more thought. In the beginning, her transient feelings had usually come when she was in close proximity of Sora or even touching him, as their palms kissed in the deluge of cerulean-winged butterflies.

Like sunshine breaching the window of a church, the station on which she hung filled with light. It leveled itself out, allowing the kunoichi to cease her use of chakra. She saw the other parts of the incomplete circle, stretching out into the distance like stepping stones. The butterfly left her shoulder and danced along the path, beckoning her to follow; she complied.

_The voice was more morose. "See the sorry state we're in? I'm not completely sure how it happened, but it's broken, you're heart. . . ." There was a pause. "__We're__ broken."_

Hikari hopped along the path of shards until she came to its end. Ten feet below, an almost complete station was present; there was only about a barrel-size chip along the rim. The design was also different from the others.

The blonde wraith lied in the center with her eyes closed and lips parted for light, drowsy breaths. Delicate hands rested over each other on her belly. Close to her back, on the left, Hikari saw herself as a shadow, yet her eyes were yellow. Seeing Orochimaru next to the image, she realized just how closely she resembled him. Some Shadows decorated that side as well.

On the other hand, the side on the right of the blonde was decorated with the faces of her friends: Sora, Donald, Goofy . . . Riku, Kairi. The basic color scheme outside of the wraith was warm, full of reds, oranges, and yellows. Despite the appearance Orochimaru and some Heartless, it was very bright.

Not quite sure what to make of it, Hikari closed her mouth, took a few steps (the few steps the shard allowed her,) ran, and jumped off the edge. She landed on the blonde wraith's chest in a crouch on one knee. The station lit up in response to her presence. The butterfly was gone.

She stood and turned, regarding the five circles with her friends' visages. Riku appeared even more handsome than usual, somehow, she thought when raising her hand over her heart; only the tips of the nails of her fingers touched skin. "Did Riku do it? Um . . . break me?"

"No!"

Hikari about-faced on her heel to face the noise, which before had been disembodied and sounded as if it were coming from all directions. Now, her eyes laid on the wraith; this time, she appeared to have substance and was not transparent. She was mirroring her pose, with one hand over her heart, but her eyes were sad; Hikari's were inquiring.

The blonde continued. "Riku didn't do this. I saw the darkness consume him . . . that night . . . and just—shattered. And now—," she regarded the chip at the edge, "—as you can see, a piece is still missing. . . . But it's not his fault! He wouldn't do it on purpose."

Bags were visible under Hikari's eyes, the result of having swelled them with tears. She had raised her hand from her chest to her head; she hung her hand from her bangs. Mental exhaustion had taken its toll on her, what with these anomalies; she had grown tired of combating these ideas. After seeing Riku, the wraith seemed so foolish . . . but even she did not quite want to admit that.

"Let's review this," she said tiredly. "Naruto stole my heart. Somehow, it broke. All pieces but one ended up inside Sora, and one of the pieces he has returned to me in Deep Jungle. The rest, I think I got just now. The first piece was so small, I never noticed its pulsing, not that I'd even bothered to check anymore. . . . I think I get all that now . . . maybe I'm beginning to understand you, too.

"You're me; 'Heart-Hiki.'"

Heart-Hiki gave a crooked smile and lowered her hands, letting them fall so she could lace them behind her back. It made a lot of sense to Hikari now, she achieved a sense of clarity. Namely, Heart-Hiki even appeared more like "Hiki" than Hikari! With pallid skin, midnight black hair—she had harbored the feeling her appearance was not original for a long time. She looked nothing like her brother—her _twin_ brother. But the blonde wraith—"Heart-Hiki." . . .

It would make sense for the twin of Naruto Uzumaki to be blonde. Obviously since their sexes differed they were fraternal twins and subsequently not identical, but that did not indicate they would be without similarities. Moreover, the colors of their skins were closer in tone, varied solely due to time spent in the sun one would speculate. And while Naruto's eyes were blue, the wraith's were gray; a feature she and Hikari shared, along with the basic structure of her face and body. All that changed was color, and maybe a little personality.

"But these dreams—," Hikari began, lowering her hand to her side, "—the ones where I look like you and I'm on the islands. How real are they? What . . . exactly is my connection to Riku?"

Heart-Hiki blushed and picked up one of her feet, rubbing the toe of her zori on the glass. "Well . . . most of them are mere dreams; when I was in Naruto I didn't interact with everyone else much, because I figured they'd reject me as a 'ghost.' But Riku. . . ." She smiled. "He saw me when I was supposed to be invisible, and wasn't afraid. We started talking . . . and developed feelings. I'm in love with him."

"Tch!" Hikari frowned and took a step back, raising her chin and closing her hands. Undeniable rouge appeared on her cheeks; she was becoming defensive, and raised her voice. "Which means _I'm_ in love with him, right? If you're me—I'm you. So you come in, and I'm supposed to cave into these feelings all of a sudden? Just because you're my heart? Just a bit of you has caused enough upset!"

The blonde stared with a stunned expression, quickly followed by confusion. Her hands behind her back released themselves as she stepped forward. _"What?"_

Weariness was still evident in the dark-haired nin's flinty eyes. One could see some fear as well as outrage; she still felt overwhelming uncertainty. "You're taking over, isn't that right? That's what this means. You started giving me feelings, little by little—you're going to erase what _I've_ made."

The kunoichi paused for a moment and turned on her heel to the side, trying to find her words. "My looks changed because I couldn't remember Hiki without my heart. It was like I wasn't her without it—you!" She faced Heart-Hiki. "But I am. Maybe I needed a little help, but I've made friends, too, and have felt! So what if I didn't have you? I'm Hiki too! I can't just let you take over, what will happen to all my friends, all my feelings that I've felt? Everything became confusing when you meddled!"

Her jaw had dropped; she had difficulty forming thoughts, let alone words. All that would escape the blonde's mouth for a few moments were inquiring, partially executed vowel sounds in her shock. Then, her face smoothed except for a light wrinkle in her brow. She took a few steps forward and tried reaching out.

"I know you're Hiki, too. I'm not here to invade you, or take over. Your feelings matter just as much as mine." Searching for words, she turned her head and held her arm. "But you can't keep me out, either, because I am also Hiki. We've been separated for a long time, so I guess it's scary, but I'm not taking anything away." She looked at Hikari. "If we're together, we're closer to being complete; we need to merge. . . . I don't want to take over, but you can't ignore me."

Hikari's jaw was tight. "How do I know you're not lying? How do I know you won't overpower me?"

She smiled wryly and started to close the distance between them, still holding her arm. "Hiki, you're both mind and body; I'm just heart. Truth is, you're a lot stronger than me—especially since you already have a piece of me." She stopped in front of Hikari, who shifted a foot back. "What I can do is both admittedly amazing and limited. Best I can do for you is feel.

"Some feelings are confusing, even scary . . . ," she released her arm and raised her hand extending a pinky; she looked Hikari in the eye, ". . . but together, we'll be able to handle them."

Staring at the pinky reproachfully, the kunoichi expressed a little hesitation but also appeared to waver. Finally, after a few moments of mental deliberation, she linked her pinky with Heart-Hiki's.

The latter smiled and closed her eyes, commencing to glow; her body dissolved, starting first to pixelate and resemble a close swarm of fireflies until she disappeared. Hikari lowered her pinky, looked up, and shut her eyes. Everything was dissolveed in light.

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away, there was a large, ship-like vessel sailing under the flag of pirates. Gently it rocked along the cosmos like a boat carrying itself amongst the ocean waves, swimming similarly to Monstro. Few crewmen were above deck, the only souls to brave the company of a few humanoid Heartless in similar attire.

In the captain's quarters, Kairi was in a coma, lying on sheets colored a shade of red similar to her hair. The room was relatively small yet quaint, containing a desk and chair for the ship's captain as well as large windows with a view of the sea from all sides, obstructed only by the bars keeping them in place. The bed itself was in a corner with posts all the way to the ceiling.

Since captain's quarters was above deck, the window was allowed to be open. A gentle breeze disturbed the curtain and lightly brushed Kairi's short red locks. She was unaffected and did not stir; her arms remained at her sides. Her chest rose and fell with sleepy breaths.

Riku stood over the redhead's bedside and regarded her sadly. "So, Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?"

A hologram bearing the silhouetted physiognomy of Pain was the one to answer. His Rinnegan eyes were all that was completely transferred whereas all else was a multicolored projection of green with some pink and yellow. His voice came out as a transmission, mildly full of static. "Yes."

"And her heart was. . . ."

"Pillaged by the Heartless."

Desperately, Riku turned toward the hologram and asked, "Tell me! What can I do?"

He expressed no sympathy; or any emotion, for that matter. "There are nine maidens of the purest heart, referred to as the 'Princesses of Heart.' And there are nine jinchuuriki. Human containers of demonic tailed beasts as stygian as the maidens are light. Gather these Heartless and the maidens, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Therein lies ultimate wisdom, some of which could be applied to finding her heart."

The silver-haired boy lowered his hands.

The hologram appeared to short-out fleetingly as Pain turned his head toward someone whose voice and likeness were not evident to present company. He listened intently, seeming very interested in what the mystery party reported. "Very well." He regarded Riku and spoke concisely. "Continue along this path. It has served you, thus far." Like it was being reflected in a funhouse mirror, the image created horizontal waves before disappearing .

Riku frowned and lowered his gaze, thinking, _I finally found Kairi, and I found Hiki's body. I've found my real friends, and got rid of the __**fake.**_ He lifted his eyes as he sensed someone's appearance after Pain's departure and caught Maleficent coming from the shadows.

"Now, I will grant you a marvelous gift," stated the dark fairy. Her scarlet-painted fingers brushed against the orb of the scepter, coaxing magic from it. It began to glow mystically, and she raised both of her arms. Her robes spanned across the length of her arms, creating the illusion of a dragon spreading its wings. "The power to control the Heartless."

Riku's vision darkened as a green aura matching his eyes encased him, so he squinted. He fisted, accepting and grasping the power symbolically in a subtly eager fashion. While the color faded, he turned to his comatose friend. "Soon, Kairi. Soon."

**End of Chapter Twenty-nine**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty: Our Mission

Her hands, which she examined using gentle grey-eyes, were fair-skinned like her brother's, as opposed to the pallid, ivory tone she once sported. Golden blonde locks spilled over her shoulders and jaw, giving the illusion that she was brighter than before. The purple markings around her eyes were faded, but still present.

A glint between locks of her hair drew his attention; shuriken were hooked to her ears by clips like those used by mountain climbers. Her ensemble was edgier, less conservative than it was in the past. A high-collared, deep red jacket with sleeves rolled up to her elbows remained unzipped and did not bear any sort of logo or emblem. She wore beneath it a pink top that had one strap styled like a belt that buckled just over the inner side of her left breast. Between the trim of the top and the bottom of her breasts was simple fishnet, so one could see her belly button. The mini-skirt she wore had slits on either side, was colored deep orange, and had navy blue on the trims; black spanx covered her thighs. She also had knee-high, black zori.

The kunoichi smiled at Sora and closed her hand over the stone of the First Hokage's necklace, which was around her neck. Despite the little bit of anxiety she had harbored, it was definitely nice to feel her heart beat again.

* * *

Heya! I'm sorry for the delay. I didn't realize until yesterday or the day before that it's been way over a month since I've posted ^^' Between then and now has been a little on the crazy side—graduation, trying to get my stuff together for college, trying to get my license, helpin' out my grandma as she recovers from back surgery, obtaining both Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded and FFIV: The Complete Collection (the latter of which I put down just to finish the next chapter so I could post DX)—buuut I probably could have gotten this out sooner if I applied myself more. It is what it is though.

Anyway, hopefully the awesomeness of this chapter makes up for that~! I really like it ^^ Drama is fun to write. That's probably why when I have to write cut scenes, I like doing the dramatic ones—like the end of this chapter—'cause they're much more fun and somehow easier for me to write XD Um, I don't know how much I can say about this chapter, I hope this answered more questions than could have been raised. . . . Random bit of trivia—whenever I talked to my beta-reader about "the blonde wraith" or "Hikari's heart," I really did refer to her as "Heart-Hiki." Just simplifies things, ne? Sounds more like a name than an object, actually, now that I think of it, which is a good thing :D

Oh, and starting from now on I am only posting on this site. Quizilla deleted all of my creations save for the latest three chapters of WDTL recently—and everyone else has the same problem. Everything before April 2011 is gone. So, what does this mean for you guys? Not a bunch. Just means I won't delay a chapter's posting in order to make banners and I won't have a reason to peruse photobucket for pictures so much anymore . . . which may result in more time writing and SLIGHTLY quicker updates.

Mm, and in regard to Hikari's new outfit as described in the preview, I will post a link to its appearance either in the next chapter or on my profile . . . hell, maybe both. I have drawn it, but for color purposes chances are I'll post a link to, also, a rendering one of my friends made . . . which helped me figure out the colors.

**Thanks for reading, God bless!**


	30. Our Mission

**Chapter Thirty: Our Mission**

Sora opened his eyes one at a time, bringing focus to the roof of Chamber Some-Number-or-Other. He moaned, bringing one of his hands up to wipe his eyes, and yawned. Somehow, despite having viewed Hikari's Dive into the Heart like watching a movie, he felt relieved, lighter. As the saying went, "the heart's a heavy burden."

The brunette sat up and looked over at Hikari, who was also sitting up; she looked different, and probably would have been practically unrecognizable if he had not witnessed the inner workings. The change was both mild and drastic.

Her hands, which she examined using gentle grey-eyes, were fair-skinned like her brother's, as opposed to the pallid, ivory tone she once sported. Golden blonde locks spilled over her shoulders and jaw, giving the illusion that she was brighter than before. The purple markings around her eyes were faded, but still present.

A glint between locks of her hair drew his attention; shuriken were hooked to her ears by clips like those used by mountain climbers. Her ensemble was edgier, less conservative than it was in the past. A high-collared, deep red jacket with sleeves rolled up to her elbows remained unzipped and did not bear any sort of logo or emblem. She wore beneath it a pink top that had one strap styled like a belt that buckled just over the inner side of her left breast. Between the trim of the top and the bottom of her breasts was simple pink fishnet, so one could see her belly button. The mini-skirt she wore had slits on either side, was colored deep orange, and had navy blue on the trims; black spanx covered her thighs. She also had knee-high, black zori.

The kunoichi smiled at Sora and closed her hand over the stone of the First Hokage's necklace, which was around her neck. Despite the little bit of anxiety she had harbored, it was definitely nice to feel her heart beat again.

Donald and Goofy were elated to see the duo's rising; relief was evident in their widespread grins. Both teens assured them that they were okay and explained briefly what had occurred within; what was understood and the mysteries. Hikari left out the part about her feelings for Riku, not eager to be ragged on for the matter, and explained that most of her feelings were intact; she simply would be able to experienced more now. "I still think you guys are morons a lot of the time."

Before Donald could fume in reply, Goofy raised an inquiry, holding his chin. "So, uh, hold on a minute . . . you mean you have your heart now? It's not just a 'brink'—uh, 'rink'—or . . . ?"

"'Link.'" She glanced to the side. "I'm still a little heartless. . . . Like I said, my heart broke for some reason, and I guess one of the pieces got lost when my brother gave them to Sora. I still have to look for it, before I'm complete." With a small shrug, she added, "I've been looking for it all along, so it's not like I've really added to the list of things to search for, but . . . if Naruto doesn't have it, or Sora, I have no leads."

Almost reluctantly, Donald grumbled an idea with his arms crossed. "Maybe the King would have an idea."

She stood up and entertained the idea. "Mickey—His Majesty—did start learning a lot of things, but I don't think he learned that much. Ansem was the researcher on hearts. Maybe in his reports we'll find something on broken hearts and their pieces."

Abruptly, she had what others would describe as a "bad feeling." She had a chill set in her spine, one that made her shiver and look off deeper into Monstro. She was not sure exactly what this feeling was—paranoia? Deeply unsettling as it was, she did not think it was a figment of her imagination. . . .

A loud, lonely howl echoing through the whale's chambers confirmed this feeling to be of viable concern. Hikari ran out of the chamber toward the stomach, where the howl seemed to have originated. Sora and the rest were not a beat behind her, as concerned as she. It was possible that the howl had been voiced because the creature was victim to a Heartless—one like the Parasite Cage that had run out on them.

They located their quarry in the very spot they had supposed. Like before, it rested in the very center, surrounded by a pool of stomach acid. A catwalk connected the entrance to the small platform the Parasite Cage rested on. A red, Quadra-pedal animal was contained in its belly behind bars.

The kunoichi was first to approach the Heartless, drawing two tantos from their sheathes at the small of her back just above her kunai pouch as the other three came at her flanks. She, Sora, and Goofy charged in, weapons raised, while Donald hung back and began casting spells from a distance.

The others began with physical attacks; Goofy because he was limited to this and Sora and Hikari because magic and ninjutsu often tired one out quicker. They would strike the Heartless's body, but found it had some type of armor—_hard_ armor. Each time Hikari struck with her dual blades or Sora struck with his Keyblade, sparks flew and small scratches were made, but there was no apparent further damage.

Wondering if perhaps the protection was less thick elsewhere, the kunoichi backed off for a moment and climbed up a few pods that circled the walls, bringing her level with its face. Changing hands so both weapons were in her left hand, she procured a kunai and threw it at its back. The Heartless happened to turn at that moment, so the kunai hit its tentacle instead. Although the knife embedded itself in it, it did not seem greatly harmed.

The tentacle went for Hikari with great speed, enough that she hardly had been able to tumble out of the way. She barely regained her footing before she had to duck in order to avoid it again. Quickly she jumped down to the floor, just outside the ring of gastric juice, and quickly swiped the tentacle head when it came for her again. In relation to its size it was nothing more than a scratch, yet its attack retreated from her.

Simultaneously Sora and Goofy were snatched up by the tentacles and bound with their arms so tightly to their sides they dropped their weapons. The Parasite Cage appeared to have been enraged—as much as a Heartless being comprised of darkness can express or feel—and flailed its arms, shaking the two like rattles.

"Sora! Goofy!" Donald yelled. He raised his staff and continued casting spells. When casting Firaga, a fireball of greater mass than lesser spells was produced; he cast it twice, one for each arm. There appeared to be damage—charring on the arm—but it was marginal.

_Maybe it needs something with a little more "oomph,"_ thought the blonde; she sheathed her knives and pulled out a kunai and a bomb note, which she tied with twine to the loop end. _This should have a better impact than Firaga, but if I aim for the arms, the blast could end up hurting Sora and Goofy, especially if the Heartless flails._

Holding the kunai in one hand, she formed a hand sign around it resembling cross; the sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which she implemented. Three copies appeared, each carrying weapons similar to the original's.

All four versions of the blonde scattered, confusing the Cage as it tried figuring out which one to pursue. Three of them concentrated on taunting it, creating a distraction as the fourth ran around to its backside with the bombtag. The Cage took the bait and did not notice.

"Oi! Over here, Ugly!" called one clone.

"Yoohoo~!" yelled another, shaking its rear at the Heartless.

"Take a looksie over here! I'm more interesting than those bozos!" said the third, waving its arms around.

Like a child throwing a tantrum, the Heartless flailed its arms in an agitated manner, thus shaking Sora and Goofy. They were used as mallets versus two of the copies, who turned to smoke instantly. The goof and the brunette had swirls in their eyes and moaned; they appeared a little green as well.

When Hikari believed she found the optimum place to attack, she threw the bomb-tagged kunai and watched it strike. Unfortunately, the back was armored as well, and the weapon was deflected. The knife planted itself in the ground near Donald's webbed feet. Since he was continuing to cast Firaga spells, he did not realize that the tag began burning.

"Donald!" The single remains clone was closer to the duck while the original was on the other side of the Parasite Cage; the note was burning swiftly. As the duck turned his head in response to her yell, absolutely clueless, the clone sprinted toward him, took him up in her arms, turned her back to the bomb, and crouched to widen coverage of him. The true Hikari meanwhile distracted the Cage so it would not end up placing Sora or Goofy near the explosion.

The bomb detonated.

"Wak!" The flame consumed the clone, fragile as it was, and disappeared into smoke mingling with the aftermath. It seemed to have sustained itself long enough to act as an effective shield, however, for the duck was not roasted—not even rare.

Hikari pulled out another bombtag—this one with a one-sided adhesive that she could stick to the body—and tried to rush the beast as it was distracted by the blast. She jumped to avoid the stomach acid, but prior to her finding the best opportunity to complete her task, the tentacle holding Sora knocked her off her feet and into the wall.

"Ngh!" It was not bone, but it was hard nevertheless. One could deduce it was comprised of strong muscle. Hikari's impact on it was audible, as was her rump meeting the floor when she slid down. She was disoriented.

Donald, who had fallen onto his belly after the clone released him, lifted his head and gawked in the direction of her body. _Hikari . . . ?_ Slowly he lifted himself to his knees, regarding her with wide eyes and a furrowed brow. The smoke from the bomb was dissipating, clearing visibility.

Writhing inside the tentacle's constriction, Goofy attempted to wrestle his arm free. He shrugged his shoulder and pulled up, wiggling it around much like Jell-o, until it was finally liberated. He yelped when the tentacle tightened and he nearly dropped the green capsule in his hand. "Wh-_whoaoaooaoa!_ Hiki!" He tossed it in her direction.

Hikari moaned and lifted her head a smidgen, rolling with the swirls in her eyes. Upon her name reaching her ears, she blinked and few times and shook her head to make the vertigo subside and realign her vision. She lifted her head just in time to see the capsule coming at her, which she caught; she looked at it and smiled. It was a potion.

While the spell "Cure" and its derivatives were useless on shinobi, the healing properties of herbs in potions would be put into full effect once it entered the bloodstream of any character who consumed it: ninja, animal, or otherwise. When Hikari drank it, she felt better almost immediately and stood.

"Guys, I don't know if I can take being this guy's rattle anymore!" yelled Sora.

"Hang in there, you two!" the blonde replied. She held the end of the bomb-tag between her lips to free her hands so she could form the necessary seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. A dozen or so doppelgangers were produced to keep the distraction going on longer than prior.

But that sly beast had a little bit more intelligence than they would have given credit for and had another trick up its sleeve. Allowing its tentacles to flop onto the ground, it absorbed some of the gastric juice and expelled it in a vaporous form that felled each copy all at once.

Contact with the eyes made them sting and water; the malodorous stench permeated the limited space. Hikari covered her nose and mouth, but unfortunately had a taste of the gas first. She coughed, trying to stop it from entering her lungs in case it was poisonous.

Squinting, she tried to peer into the belly of the Heartless at the poor creature trapped inside. She could not tell if it was worse for wear, or even what specie it was—its fur was bright orange-red. The bomb-tag crinkled in her hand as she coughed again.

"Aeroga!" A strong gust of wind blew the gas into the nearest vent connecting the stomach to the next chamber. The air around Hikari also created a protective vortex, the same which had saved Sora from Sasori's Iron Sand; the suffix "-ga" simply indicated it was the highest level of that spell.

A little confused, the blonde saw that Sora was still in captivity—though she doubted he had mastered spells of so high a level anyway—and looked over at where she had last seen Donald. He had his back turned slightly toward her and his arms crossed; an awkward expression was on his face. He was trying not to look at her. A minuscule suffusion may have been present beneath his feathers. There was also a little sweat visible, meaning he had probably just spent the last of his magic.

She smiled at him sweetly and nodded, a gesture of gratitude for what she was interpreting as unspoken forgiveness. Before the effect of the spell passed, she attacked the Parasite Cage one more time. The response was swift with the tentacles assaulting her as soon as she approached. Aeroga deflected each attempt at harm absolutely, letting her continue toward it uninterrupted. She jumped off the ground in front of it, kicked off the top of the belly just above the bars, and flipped above the creature's head. As she went down, she reached back and slapped the tag on the neck.

When she landed on her feet, she ran under the arm to the front, drawing its attention away from the posterior. The arms followed her, bringing Sora and Goofy an approximate safe distance from the tag. Figuring the animal would be safe inside the belly, that the bomb would do no more than stun the Parasite Cage, Hikari created a one-handed sign with the two fingers of her right hand, thus detonating the bomb.

Pressure from the blast did as anticipated. Sora and Goofy landed with their rumps on the stomach acid after they were dropped and the tentacles limply fell to the ground. The cage portion of the body parted in a wide yawn as the head leaned back, tired.

The winds stopped circling the kunoichi as she quickly ran toward the open belly. The Quadra-pedal animal—whose features seemed to blend those both feline and canine—had its eyes shut tight and continuous palpitations. It flinched at Hikari's touch, gentle though it was, but she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him out anyway. She lugged him across the pool of acid to where it was safer.

Sora jumped up off his rear before the acid could eat through his shorts, though he took a few moments to stabilize himself. After being shaken and waved around in the air, he felt like he had just come off a terribly intense roller coaster. He summoned his Keyblade and touched the point to the ground, giving his head a moment to cease spinning and his legs to stop tingling.

Yet he knew the Parasite Cage would not stay stunned forever. Ignoring Goofy, who was jumping around, trying to soothe the pain of acid burning through his pants to his derriere, he conveyed some energy into the Keyblade, which glowed. He lifted the Key and targeted the weaker interior, beginning a combo of twelve consecutive slashes. Each strike produced in the light around it white and yellow stars, almost like the chipping away of the Heartless's physical wellness.

The thirteenth hit of the combo known as Ars Arcanum was a heavy bash that pulverized the Parasite Cage. A giant crater was beaten into the base of the cage itself, out of which darkness profusely poured. To avoid being touched by any of the dark diffusion, Sora backed away and watched a pink heart rise out of the abyss and disappear.

A figure crouched on one of the upper shelves of the stomach held a paperbacked orange novel, but was not seeing only the words. He watched Sora, Donald, and Goofy gather around Hikari, who was kneeling next to the unknown beast; one of his eyes were concealed by a Konoha hitaiate.

The beast had been laid flat on his belly. He was stiff, rigidly positioned with his hind legs crouched and his head in-between his front paws. Hikari gingerly ran her hand through his thin brown mane up to the head of beads, earrings, and feathers around and between his ears. She regarded the right eye which had a scar running through it and looked back at the brands and gold braces on his legs. One of the brands was the roman numeral XIII; she noticed, too, that there was a flame at the tip of his tail.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but it was someone else whose words came first; the voice was familiar to the kunoichi. "Who are your friends, Hikari? Seems you taught that Heartless a thing or two, but it sure took you long enough."

She twisted to regard the speaker: a silver-haired male dressed in the same attire as Konoha jounin—sans flak jacket. Most of his face was covered by a mask extending from his shirt to the top of his cheeks and the hitaiate. Hikari's eyes widened, "—Kakashi-sensei—," then narrowed. "Like you're the Prince of Punctuality. Naruto told me you're always late; now I see for myself. You missed your chance to join in the fun."

"I got lost in the maze that is 'Monstro.'"

She raised a brow. "More like lost in the pages of your pervy novels, isn't that right?"

He rubbed the back of his head and appeared to be smiling; his visible eye was closed in a way that conveyed amusement. "Alright, I guess you got me. Still, it looks like you didn't need me. You've grown."

"Uh, Hiki," began Sora; he did not tear his eyes away from Kakashi's eerily masked face. "Who is this guy?"

"Kakashi Hatake. He was a jounin in Konoha, and led Naruto, Sakura, Krystal, and Sasuke after they graduated from the Academy." She faced the four-legged beast once more. Affectionately, she said, "These guys are the three stooges I've been traveling with: Sora, wielder of the Keyblade; Donald, Court Magician; and Goofy, Royal Knight."

"Aw, c'mon. Hiki. I thought you'd be nicer with a heart. Couldn't you call us something like. . . ." He hoisted his Keyblade onto his shoulder and looked up in thought. "The Three Musketeers? Amigos? . . . The Warriors of Light? Anything but the 'three stooges.'"

A low whimper came from the animal, drawing their attention.

"What's the matter with him? A nightmare?"

Hikari looked him over with soft eyes and cupped his chin, trying to provide some succor. "Well, Goofy . . . maybe. But . . . it might be something a little more serious." _I still have that bad feeling. Maybe it wasn't just the Parasite Cage after all. . . ._ "But whatever's hurting him isn't physical."

When she squinted, she felt as though she could see him secreting a bit of darkness from his skin. She could sense his heart, though, and the fear. Although she was not clairvoyant, she had the feeling, in her heart, that he was not a malignant creature like the Heartless.

Kakashi lifted his hitaiate and revealed a crimson eye with a scar running through it; three tomoe surrounded his pupil. It was the Sharingan eye, a doujutsu kekkai genkai of the Uchiha Clan that the jounin possessed despite his lineage. It granted a number of abilities to the user, including an increased ability to perceive happenings.

"It's the darkness in his heart. Or something very much like it." He looked at Hikari. "You probably shouldn't be touching him. He doesn't look very cuddly in the first place, but if the darkness wins, you'll be the first one attacked."

She ignored him. Perhaps it was her little something of a soft spot for animals, but she still regarded him with compassion and started to gently scratch just under his jaw bone on his neck. Her eyelids closed and she rested her forehead on the tip of his nose.

"Maybe he just needs a little bit of light, a bit of warmth."

**[Stars]**

_I cannot fully ascertain this pitch black monster nested in my heart, the violently vibrating soul that sent fear through my body. I try howling it away. Somehow, I thought, I could probably expel it as I tightened the muscles of my chest and belly._

_I will not be ridded of "Gilligan"—the name I gave this thing—so simply._

_The vibrations resonate through my body from nose to tail as trembles of fright I cannot control. I feel cold. This is the first time Gilligan has rendered me useless—before, I was able to move, even when it was restless. Faces appear in the black, showing briefly before going away. What were their names, again . . . ?_

_A ray of light pierced Gilligan, and I felt something warm under my jaw, but I couldn't yet make out what it was. Gilligan's ice thawed. It was melted by the warmth of light and the alien touch. As Gilligan was caged, it was like menacing gray clouds were giving way to blue skies. I could recognize the class of touch on my jaw to be gentle scratching. Affectionately, someone rested a part of their face against my snout._

_Gilligan—just what are you? The darkness of my heart—or something else . . . ?_

* * *

Hikari could feel the tension being released in the animal's body as his tremors ceased and his shoulders relaxed. The "bad feeling" she had was disappearing along with it. She opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head. She did not want to pull away before he was ready, but she felt it may be awkward for him to open his eyes with her directly on his nose. She continued to soothingly scratch him.

A small glimpse of ochre color appeared in his unscarred eye as his eyelids parted. The cat-like pupil thinned and expanded almost microscopically as he tried bringing the area into focus. He withdrew some from Hikari's touch—the tips of her fingers brushed against the ends of his fur—and looked at her face.

She smiled at him and cooed, "Hello. Are you feeling better now?"

The animal's brow tightened and he shook Hikari's hands away, turning immediately to put some distance between them. Hikari was startled to her feet but did not quite stand up straight; she kept her hands in front of her in a surrendering sort of way, conveying they were not there to attack.

He remained in a fight-ready position as he scanned the group with his good eye, shoulders hunkered and his rear a little higher than his front. After conducting his assessment, he had determined them not to be threats and adjusted his stance; he sat on his rear with his tail extending behind him but did not lay down.

"Do not coo at me like an infant," he spoke; his voice hinted at considerable intellect and was slightly accented. "I'm not your domestic housepet." _Humans._

"Um, what are you?" Sora asked, glancing at the flame at the tip of his tail. "What do we call you?"

"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." He paused, selecting his next answer. "Red XIII is the name a scientist gave me. A name with no meaning what-so-ever to me. Call me whatever you wish. Thank you for freeing me from the beast."

_I'd rather call you by your real name, or one with some kind of meaning to you,_ Hikari thought, holding her arms. "It's nothing. A big part of our quest is taking out Heartless, especially big ones like that terrorizing those with hearts. I'm Hikari—a lot of people call me 'Hiki.' This is Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kakashi-sensei."

Each gave their respective salutation of "Hiya," "Hello," "A-hyuck! Nice to meet you," and "Hey there."

After he responded with his own greeting, he regarded Hikari again. "What is your quest?"

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "I was wondering the same thing."

"Where to begin?" she thought aloud. "Our primary objective, as a team, is to stop the Heartless and save the World. But they're being controlled by a witch named Maleficent, who's teamed up with the Akatsuki; so really we're out to stop them and anyone working with them. They're looking for nine maidens of pure heart, the nine jinchuuriki, and the worlds' Keyholes—which Sora can seal before the Heartless can get to them. So far he's sealed four. . . ."

"Sora's wielder of the Keyblade!" Donald added. "The King sent us on a mission to find him, and since we did, we're also looking to meet up with His Majesty."

"I'm looking for my friends, too," the brunette said; his expression was downcast. "Even if one of them's on the wrong side. . . ."

"And my brother. . . . He's a jinchuuriki. He's already been captured by the Akatsuki, so I need to save him," said Hikari last. _I'm not even going to Sasuke or Orochimaru. . . . Overwhelming just thinking about it._

"Those are a lot of tasks," the Copy Cat Ninja commented; he was as aloof as ever, but had taken a moment of pause when he heard about Naruto. "But what's this Keyblade?"

In a small flash of light, said weapon appeared in hand and Sora held it out in front of him for show. Red XIII stood on all fours and approached, eyeing it with piqued interest. "So this is a Keyblade. . . . I have heard legends in Cosmo Canyon, but never seen one up close—or ever." He paused and looked up from the Keyblade to Sora. "I will join you on your journey."

Donald was about to open his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Hikari. "Absolutely!"

"What!" the duck squawked; he scowled at Hikari.

With her arms still crossed and her body facing Red XIII, she just turned her head to the side to speak to the duck next to her. "What? There's room. I make the Gummies, I fix them if they break down, I'm pilot of the Highwind. I'm like the captain. Captains decide who joins—," she leaned over and flicked her brow, "—and who stays or goes."

Before Donald could protest further, Sora asked, "Are you looking for someone, too?"

_I can't tell them I wish to conquer Gilligan—whatever "Gilligan" may be. I will tell only part of the truth. . . ._ "I want to witness the Keyblade's power for myself. I'm interested to see how it's manifested in you and how you wield it."

"Well, 'Captain' Hikari. Is there one more place available?" inquired the silver-haired nin. His mask appeared to extend beyond the blue piece of cloth on his face, for it was difficult to detect if he truly was as calm as one would perceive.

The blonde was less eager to invite her brother's teacher along for the ride. Her eyes were a little wider as she blinked, trying to think of a response. She spoke slowly. "No. I don't think there is. . . . Why?"

He was polite, but assertive. "You should reconsider, especially going up against the likes of the Akatsuki. Those guys aren't like the Heartless. They're intelligent. And they're even more ruthless. They're all S-rank criminals. Not to brag, but I've taken down a few ninja of that caliber in my time." He ended with a smile; namely, his eye closed in what appeared to a positive way.

Then, a little bit of bite came. "And that's my student they have."

"Well, I think twin brother trumps student any day, Kakashi-sensei." Hikari bit back. Her hands moved to her hips. "This is _our_ mission—and it's personal. I can't shake the feeling that, if we let you come along, you'll end up heading this thing and trying to keep us out of the action. I wouldn't put it passed you. Back when your team had their first mission outside the village, which was supposed to be C-rank, you made Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Krystal stay out of the fray when an ex-Mist nin confronted you. But then _you_ ended up in a Water Prison Jutsu that Naruto and Sasuke saved you from . . . despite you telling them to run away. Isn't that right?"

Kakashi became stern; his eye frowned. "You aren't Naruto and you're not Sasuke. And what I saw with that Heartless wasn't very impressive compared to what I should've seen to think you're strong enough. Do you think you can hold your own against a member of the Akatsuki?"

Sora stepped up next to Hikari, still holding his Keyblade. His hand was closed around it tightly while the other was in a clenched fist. "We _are_ strong enough! A couple weeks ago, Hiki and me defeated this guy called 'Sasori of the Red Sands.' He identified himself as part of the Akatsuki."

This caught the silver-haired shinobi's attention. His gaze relented a bit, softening after a fleeting surprise but he said naught.

"He was wearing the robe and his partner took Gaara," Hikari continued. Since he appeared not to be as on-the-offensive, she relaxed as well. "Sora's learning quickly. Donald—he can perform the highest level of every spell I've seen him try. Goofy's loyalty is beyond even a dog's. And me. . . ."

She hesitated and looked down for a second, letting one hand fall from her hip and the other rise to the top of her shirt. Her eyes did not remain on the floor long. "I didn't apply myself at the Academy. I did just good enough to pass, but all of the stuff we were tested on—well, let's just say it was all review." She pulled her top down just enough to show her curse mark and nothing else. "I saw everything—even stuff we didn't go deep into, like change of chakra nature—when I was _his _student."

Kakashi's visible eye widened as he recognized the bruise. He had conducted the sealing jutsu on Sasuke when it was given to him.

"Mm. . . ." The pause was awkward, so Hikari let her top slide back up to its original covering. "I thought it would be easier to make friends with people my age so I stayed in the Academy. And the last thing I needed was for all the girls to hate me because they thought I was showing off for Sasuke—so I didn't show off." She shook her head. "You get it. Bottom line, we're capable."

For a long time, he appeared to think it over. His face was absolutely unreadable—even his visible eye did not commit to any discernable emotion. Then, he smiled and placed his hands on both Sora's head and Hikari's. He ruffled the top a little. "Alright. I'll leave it to you then."

"You will?" Goofy asked; the rest were a little too dumbfounded to speak right away.

"Yeah," he said, lowering his hands from the blonde and brunette. "It is your mission. Besides, sounds like this kid has a destiny to fill, with that key. You all seem to know more about the big picture than me." He smiled. "It's in your hands."

The four of them grinned in return. Hikari felt her face warm up a smidgen. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

With Riku gone, Pinocchio back with his father, and the Parasite Cage taken care of, it was decided their time in Monstro was complete. Using blocks found in many different areas of the whale and a few from her Gummi stock, Hikari created another Gummi ship for Geppetto, Pinocchio, and Kakashi. She also gave them the coordinates for Traverse Town and told them to ask for "Leon;" she added to Kakashi that Sakura currently resided there as well, which he seemed happy to hear.

Although he had been assigned to Pinocchio as a conscience, Jiminy recognized his duty as Royal Chronicler and said his valedictions to the puppet and the old clockmaker.

Once Geppetto transferred his belongings from his wrecked ship to the Gummi, Hikari and Kakashi used the same high-level fire ninjutsu in order to set the boat aflame. A large amount of smoke inside the beast—especially around the throat—would force it to open its mouth, cough, or sneeze . . . whatever it did, they would be able to escape.

Hikari plopped into the pilot's seat and began flipping a few switches on the dash. Buttons and lights lit up, indicating the status of multiple inner workings. As smoke filled Monstro's mouth, she looked over those lights and found one distressing message: the boosters were unavailable.

"Crap," she said. "I forgot. We exhausted the Fire-G engine when we tried avoiding this thing. If I don't get at le1ast one booster on the back, we'll end up sitting ducks. . . ." Standing, she glanced at the black filling the windshield; mumbling to herself, she headed toward the door. "Maybe I can change it out real quick; I think I left a Firaga-G engine right by the storage opening. . . .

Sora was about to take his seat when he realized Hikari was not in hers. A rumble echoed through the whale's mouth, and the windshield appeared pitch black. He saw the smoke as it was disturbed, like winds created in a small space. Monstro was having a difficult time breathing!

"Hold your breath for a sec, guys."

"Wait, Hiki, don't open that—!"

But it was too late. Hikari pressed the button next to the door and it slid open. She turned her head to regard the brunette, but quickly had to grab onto the vertical metal bar beneath the button when the Gummi lurched backwards as Monstro took a deep breath. Almost as soon as it inhaled, it sneezed.

The Highwind was hurled through space, destination unknown, Sora holding onto the back of his seat, Donald and Goofy strapped inside theirs, Red XIII up against the wall of the cockpit, and Hikari's body hanging half outside the door.

**End of Chapter Thirty**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-one: Flirting With Darkness

"Kinda like Deep Jungle, huh?" Sora pointed out. "'Cept this time, Hiki's the one that made the mistake, and the three of us managed to stay inside the Gummi." He laced his fingers behind his head. "So, where do we start looking for Red and Hiki?"

Hallo! A looooooooooong time ago I got a request from a reviewer—Ultima Phoenix, as a matter of fact—for Hikari to gain a new furred companion after Akamaru left the party. It took me awhile to grant this, and at first I thought I wouldn't be able to—I had no clue. My first though was Cait Sith from FFVII (minus the fact that he's a doll or robot controlled by Reeve . . . ) but my beta-reader insisted I try Red XIII . . . and voila~! He's a little hard to pin, seeing as he's one of the least featured characters throughout the compilation, but I am trying my best. I pulled some lines of his from the game, so far as introduction, and Gilligan was part of the FFVII novella On the Way to a Smile: Case of Nanaki. . . .

I know the naming of the Gummi was kind of abrupt, but I named it Highwind simply because that is what the Gummi will be named if Riku wins the race in Kingdom Hearts, unless you change it. I think Sora's default answer would Excalibur, but . . . I prefer Highwind :P

One another note, **I have started college.** I don't know how this will affect my posting, seeing as I'm still jobless, only have two classes, and I've done kind of a crappy job of updating lately anyway (sorry . . . I've been distracted ^^' Final Fantasy IV: The Complete collection and Final Fantasy XIII.) I'll do what I can though. Thanks for sticking with me, guys and gals.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	31. Flirting With Darkness

Recappy from the Last Chappy: "Wait, Hiki, don't open that—!"

But it was too late. Hikari pressed the button next to the door and it slid open. She turned her head to regard the brunette, but quickly had to grab onto the vertical metal bar beneath the button when the Gummi lurched backwards as Monstro took a deep breath. Almost as soon as it inhaled, it sneezed.

The Highwind was hurled through space, destination unknown, Sora holding onto the back of his seat, Donald and Goofy strapped inside theirs, Red XIII up against the wall of the cockpit, and Hikari's body hanging half outside the door.

**Chapter Thirty-one: Flirting With Darkness**

The cliff overlooking a wide, calm river appeared tall enough that by standing at the edge on their tippy toes and reaching just high enough, one could touch the sky. Water poured over the edge on either side of the promontory but did not roar so as to keep peace. When standing on the cliff, one could watch the river that stretched out toward the horizon and was lined by tall forestry.

Yet while the cliff seemed nearly to reach the heavens, it was a very different, very sordid religious act being practiced a little bit before the waterfall, where some dark grey rocks rested.

A man whose skin at the moment was black as ink with white lines in the same pattern as a skeleton was on top of a red symbol drawn in the form of a triangle within a circle. The color of his skin faded to a fair tone, but his body remained still, positioned like he had been gently lain to rest. This was in contradiction with his saucer-wide purple eyes, blood trailing from his open mouth, and an iron spear piercing his chest. His silver, medium-length hair was slicked back.

Limply hanging from a rock wall with her hands tied above her was a woman whose long blonde hair blocked all of her face. Her short-sleeved black and purple blouse as well as black pants had similar cloud-like designs on them (more prevalent on her thigh) and a chain of white beads wound around her purple fingerless glove-clad left hand. Bandages around her arms and legs did not appear to have association with wounds present on her body and were under the standard shuriken holster strapped to her right thigh. Her body twitched.

Another man sat on a small boulder near the first, his intense gaze giving the appearance of impatience. They were uniquely colored—green irises, no pupils, and red sclera. The rest of his face was rendered invisible by a white hood and black mask. He had dark skin and eyebrows; the forehead protector he wore had a scratch through the village symbol. The ring on his dark green-polished finger had the kanji for "North."

Both men were dressed in the standard Akatsuki attire though the one laying on the ground had his unzipped partway down his ribs and a pendant identical to the symbol on which he lied. The hitaiate around his neck—bearing a scratch too right through the middle—was from the Hot Springs village. A triple-bladed scythe was also by his side.

The second man was regarding the woman on the wall before he spoke. "It's been thirty minutes already." He turned his head to his partner; the irritation was plain in his voice. "Aren't you done yet, Hidan?"

The first man lifted his head and glared. "Will you shut up, Kakuzu? You're interrupting the ritual!" He pulled out the spear and groaned. "Ow. . . ."

"You perform that vulgar prayer each and every time. Can't you abbreviate it even a little? Let's get going!"

Hidan sat up and snapped. "I find it tedious, but a commandment is a commandment; it must be obeyed! And how _dare_ you suggest I abbreviate it? _Blasphemous non-believer!_"

Kakuzu ignored the comment. "Once we pass the Two-tail on to Zetsu, we still have one assignment left in this world. . . . It's like finding a needle in a haystack. The Keyhole is next. Maybe gold, too. Rumor has it, this land is full of it."

This seemed to fuel the silver-haired man's contempt as he put away the retractable spear and stood up. He scoffed. "Enough with the money already! I'm tired of going on all these side missions for your greed—screw the gold!"

"Hidan, anyone with a brain would know the World _revolves_ around money!"

Any more of the contention was continued outside earshot of a fifteen-year-old shinobi hiding in the shrubbery near the floor of the forest, far enough away he went unnoticed. He had on a forest green, Konoha-style flak jacket over short-sleeved fishnet trimmed with green; black zori; dark black capris; more fishnet on his legs; and a shuriken holster on his right thigh and kunai pouch at the back of his capris. His black hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail, giving his head shape the impression of a pineapple. His small eyes, usually lazy, bored, and annoyed, were alert, analytical, and saddened.

_Yuugito . . . ,_ Shikamaru thought as he watched Hidan and Kakuzu carry her away. He had been too late in witnessing the event to be any help to the detained jinchuuriki, but he knew jumping in after the fact would have been suicide—particularly with the abilities he had witnessed in these men. Hidan in particular. . . .

Remaining hidden in the raspberry bushes, he began calculating numerous possible scenarios for the chance he encountered these men—or monsters—again. Fueled by a small fire stoked in his heart, he started planning two-hundred moves ahead. . . .

* * *

_When my class graduated from the Academy, we were all separated into squads of three to be led by a jounin instructor. Most of them were two boys and one girl; the only exception to this rule was Team Seven—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Krystal—because my brother got lucky and passed the Graduation Exam when he mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The numbers didn't split evenly in three._

_I was part of Team Two, led by Aaya-sensei. My teammates were two blonde boys named Hane and Kaizoku. They were best friends, so I remember feeling I was like the third wheel sometimes, but it was exhausting enough being a friendly teammate. . . . They were energetic, and while I can't really vouch for their smarts, they did act like idiots a lot of the time, _extremely_ proud of being blonde and even dubbing us "Team Blonde."_

_Hane was a real handful. Hyperactive indeed, he had a real hard time with chakra control. It was like he had only a small reserve of chakra, so Aaya-sensei was always on his case to train so he could access more and use just the right amount, not too much—that's probably what made it run out so fast. It was likely a miracle that he passed the Exam, too._

_When Aaya-sensei was teaching us how to walk on water, a technique used in training one's chakra control once they perfected climbing trees without hands, I already knew how to do it—Orochimaru drilled it into me when I was under his dark wing. Kaizoku picked it up after a few hours, well enough that he remained mostly above water at all times. He had better restraint; more of a silly kind of idiocy as opposed to Hane's hyper._

_On the other hand, Hane had trouble with the continuous output of chakra needed for walking on water. He would lose it as soon as he had it, and eventually, Aaya-sensei left for a date with another jounin. I was going to leave, too, but Kaizoku convinced me to help Hane, explaining he couldn't do it because his mom expected him home soon after he did some shopping._

_We were in the training grounds near the Hero's Memorial Stone, a monument where the names of shinobi killed in action were engraved. By a few posts bearing targets, a small body of water—deep enough that only my shoulders and over were seeable if my feet were touching the bottom—was there. I kneeled in front of the stone and watched._

_Even after a few more hours, he was still struggling. He had gotten to the point where he didn't fall in right away, but he couldn't keep it up very long. After a few seconds, he'd be submerged to his ankles, struggle, then fall into the water completely._

_I closed my eyes and sighed. I wanted to go home already. I'm usually a patient person, but his progress was annoyingly slow. I wasn't sure if I should just leave him or stay until he got it (or gave up.) Bailing on a teammate (though Kaizoku had done the same thing)? Aaya-sensei might've bitten my head off._

_Hane emerged from the pond and spit out water that had gotten into his mouth, cursing that he still was having trouble. I stood up and walked over toward the edge of the water to meet him as he moved along the bottom. His shaggy blonde hair hung over the hitaiate around his forehead, and he was soaked. He'd taken off his shirt and scarf earlier so they wouldn't get more wet than they already were—by now it might've even dried—but he still had on blue denim cargo shorts, zori, and fingerless black gloves._

_I leaned over and rested my hand on my knee, offering my teammate the other. His hand closed over mine, and I looked at his face. He had feminine, orange eyes with long, pretty eyelashes. A lot of girls in our graduating class were jealous, wishing they had those lashes to bat at Sasuke. I noticed then, also, that his face was red._

_He used me to pull himself out and released my hand, quickly walking passed me to hide the wide grin on his face. I raised a brow at it, wondering why he was smiling after failing _yet again _but decided against alienating him. This was back during the time when I thought I never had a friend. . . ._

_Sure, he wasn't getting it, but for his face to be so red—he had to be trying hard. Maybe I'd cut him a little slack. "Should I show you—again—how it's done?"_

_He stiffened for a moment in reaction to my voice and turned to face me. Somehow, he still had enough energy to act like he'd had too much sugar—but not enough to mold his chakra continuously. He crossed his arms and glanced up. "Wellll—I don't know." He shrugged. "I mean, I get how to mold chakra, just—this is _hard._"_

_He averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, but, um—guess it couldn't hurt if you showed me one more time, I guess."_

_I nodded and turned to the water. "Okay. Watch carefully."_

"_Uh-huh!"_

_With my hands, I created a supplemental seal. I didn't really need it, since it was practically second-nature to me, but Hane did—it helps beginners focus, especially when it came to adding the spiritual energy to the physical. I concentrated chakra to the bottom of my feet and stepped on the liquid surface, pouring out an uninterrupted stream of chakra. To the center I walked. If only I'd known how to make chakra visible—maybe if he could see exactly what was going on, it'd've been easier._

_In the middle of the pond I stopped and turned around, picking my arms up in a kind of shrug. "It's as simple as that."_

_He nodded and formed a hand sign, gauging how much chakra he would need to start with so he wouldn't fall in right away. As he did that, I linked my hands behind my back and rocked on my heels, looking around. A little ways away, on the other side of a row of bushes, I saw my crush, Sasuke, and the girl who'd almost become my friend, Krystal, walking and talking . . . and __**Sasuke wasn't ignoring her.**_

_For my twelve-year-old self, this was devastating._

_Everything around me was forgotten in an instant. Hane, timidly taking his first step onto the surface for another attempt; the annoyance of being at the training grounds literally all day; the sun starting to go down in the West. . . . Unfortunately, I also forgot about feeding my chakra to the water under my feet._

_I fell and was submerged almost immediately._

_Hane took a few big but tentative steps toward me to see if I was okay, only his toes dipping in the water on occasion. He was almost jumping, trying to make as few steps as possible. I climbed out quickly by using chakra again—this time without hand signs, but it didn't save my hooded white dress. It was already soaked through to my skin._

_And just as Hane seemed to be getting it, he lost his concentration and fell into the water. He had a nosebleed, and was beet red._

_Must've really overworked himself._

* * *

Hikari was not sure exactly what had spawned the sudden remembrance of her teammates, but the topography of the area around her was probably what triggered that memory of all others. She was at the end of a river where a two-tiered waterfall quietly ran. A series of flat rocks spanned the width, and a staircase of rock up the right of the waterfall was almost hidden by greenery.

She walked backwards toward the edge, looking down the river into the distance. It was a beautiful scene. The canopy of trees did not necessarily shelter every inch of the river, so there were parts of it sparkling with the light from the noon sun. It also reminded her, somewhat, of Deep Jungle. She was certainly in a similar situation, being separated from everyone else.

She turned around and hopped onto one of the rocks, deciding to continue searching for everyone, but she was not in any hurry. As of yet, she had not encountered any type of Heartless on this new world—it was rather refreshing.

No sooner had she completed the thought, a wave of Shadows, Air Soldiers, and a pair of Large Bodies manifested before her. Wondering why this part was suddenly such a strong spawn point, she reached behind and started to unsheathe her tantos.

However, drawing her weapons proved to be unnecessary when a third party raised their hand and each creature disappeared through the dark portals whence they came. That hand was covered by a dark glove that stopped short of covering the base of his palm.

Her hands remained on the handles as she quirked a brow at the sudden disappearance, but she slid the small bits of exposed blade back into their sheathes. Puzzled, she lifted her eyes and darted them across the trees, looking for the cause. She turned on her heel, glanced across the shrubs, looked up to the top of the waterfall, until she saw the helping hand and froze.

". . . ." Breath hitched, she could not add voice to the light movement of her lips as they formed his name. She released the knives, slowly letting her arms fall to her sides. Her twinkling eyes gazed into the warm visage of Riku as a grin spread across her countenance.

The Heartless were already forgotten. Monstro was forgotten. Without his weapon, Soul Eater, he was the boy from the Islands. One could see him trying to keep his cool, but she knew this boy—on the inside, he was in no way calm. "Hiki. . . ."

She nodded; her cheeks warmed at hearing her name in his voice. "Riku!"

From the top of the waterfall he jumped down to the same level as Hikari and she scrambled through the river to meet him. His arms were open for her and she eagerly wrapped hers around him, burying her face in his shoulder and squeezing tight. He held her just as firmly.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled his neck under his jawline, breathing in his scent: some sweat and the spices contained in whichever body soap he used, and a little bit of darkness. She grinned when she felt his smile on her hair and his hand cup the back of her head. His other hand was on her waist as her arms snaked across his back.

Her heart was in a frenzy. For years she had longed to touch him like this, and usually pretended like she could. But to actually _feel_ her cheeks growing hot as they shared each other's warmth, to _experience_ the texture of his clothes, skin and hair—her body tingled everywhere they touched.

Riku experienced similar emotions, years of longing translating to a strong desire he was having trouble holding back. His hand traveled up her side, incidentally riding up her shirt a little and sending a chill up her spine. In her surprise, she removed her face from his neck and looked him in the eye, blushing. He cupped her face and smirked; his eyes were wickedly agleam.

Then, he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and caressed her bottom lip with his mouth, sucking very lightly, like he was teasing her. It was very brief, very chaste, and required much self-control on his part. He pulled away so quick, the girl did not have a chance to close her eyes and respond.

His smirk was more cocky than before, leading her to smile and give him a playful slap. She shifted herself forward so the anterior of their torsos and their legs were fully in contact. Not once did her innocent eyes leave his, except to be closed when her face was but an inch from his.

Letting her hands remain high on his waist, she closed the distance between their lips, encasing the bottom cusp sweetly, prolonging the kiss for as long as possible. She felt pressure on her top lip; Riku reciprocating her enthusiasm. They broke away for a short moment but quickly came back for more, pressing deeper. He slid his hand from the side of her cheek to the back of her head, pulling her face toward his. Her hands remained where they were before; her fingers curled as she pulled their torsos together, slightly wrinkling his tight-fitting shirt.

A burning sensation coursed through Riku's veins and wherever their bodies shared even the smallest amount of contact. The kisses were deep, usually long, but remained chaste—sweet and steadily shorter kisses as the need for air rose became more frequent. Both faces as red as hot iron, they came together for one final kiss before parting, panting. They smiled at one another, heavy-lidded.

Riku brushed Hikari's hair behind her ear, looking at her face for the first time without being able to see the scenery through her. For almost three years, it had been that way. He memorized everything over again, the colors of her features now not subject to whether she was standing in front of a rock, tree, or wall. He did not remember the faint markings shading her eyes at all, at least not in her ghostly form.

He reacted to a light glisten in the corner of her eye, bringing him to quirk a cocky, teasing brow. "You're crying?"

"Ah!" Embarrassed, she turned her face away from him and out of his hands, taking one of hers to wipe both eyes, just in case. "Actually feeling emotions is still kinda new to me, especially powerful ones." She looked at him, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I'm a bit more emotional than I should be . . . it's a little overwhelming. Sorry."

"Hehe, well I am overwhelming . . . ," he winked. He laughed when Hikari smiled and playfully shoved him; he took her hand before she retracted, laced their fingers. Once again he brushed her hairline, as amazed at she that they were able to touch and be touched by one another. "How?"

* * *

The beads and clips of Red XIII's headdress made a subtle noise as the pads of his paws struck the soft earth and grass of the new world. The leaves on the ground were few and green, probably knocked out of the lush foliage by a squirrel or other tree-dwelling creature as it foraged, played, or evaded predators.

As he ran, he was open to his senses. He felt the breeze through his coat. He scanned the area with his good ochre eye for obstructions, allies, and threats. He heard the activity of the forest, from nesting ducks and flirting foxes to a bird of prey's hunt for food. He smelled the lingering aroma of Heartless's darkness permeating the area.

Red wrinkled his nose at this. While as a beast he could appreciate the struggle for survival, the Heartless—particularly the type with emblems on their chests—seemed unnatural. He could not totally compare them to animals, who killed and foraged for food. These dark beings mindlessly devoured hearts and allowed the body to disappear; what a waste. Furthermore, there was no satisfaction.

They were like humans who killed an animal simply for their skin and fur, wasting the meat.

He came to a grassy hill with scattered tiers or natural pillars he could use to climb up. He jumped up them with the fluidity and ease of a feline when, from the thicket to his left and behind, a yellow-green gas spilled out from between the trees into the path. Red XIII stopped and turned.

A young boy Hikari's age came out of the gas with his eyes shut tight and his mouth covered, coughing. His electric blonde hair was shaggy and touched his shoulders in some places, possibly uneven from being cut by a knife instead of scissors on occasion. The band around his forehead, visible by the part in the left side of his hair, was made of animal skin dyed red; as was the band on his wrist, stitched by sinew. An armlet on his left bicep was made of colored beads and white feathers.

He held in his hand a kunai, which matched the style of the rest of his attire. His torso was nude, but the caprice he wore were a light tan color, just a few shades darker than his pale skin. On his right thigh was a shuriken holster, a kunai pouch was attached to the rear of his pants, and he wore blue zori.

When the stranger moved his hand from his face, Red could see two lines on his left cheek in red paint. He had feminine lashes on his orange eyes that somehow did not give him too extreme of a girlish countenance.

"Stupid Poison Ivy Heartless!" cursed the blonde as he distanced himself a little more.

A relatively small variety of Heartless—approximately no bigger than Soldiers and certainly smaller than Powerwilds—jumped out of the gas and trees before the boy. They were all camouflaged, appearing to be a tangle of foliage the same as its namesake with black feet. One could only tell it was a Heartless by the glowing yellow eyes in the shadows of its face.

Four Poison Ivies gathered around the blonde, who seemed to have inhaled a little bit too much of the gas; he was still coughing. His body was twitching, too, like he was trying to resist some action that would force him to abandon his defensive stance. He appeared extremely uncomfortable.

Had the situation been man vs. beast, and that beast had not been part of the dark, Red XIII would not have interfered. Humans also had to follow the rules of the forest. But he despised the creatures of darkness much more than man.

One of the clips on Red XIII's headdress gave off a slight glow as he lifted his snout toward the sky and closed his eye. The area around them appeared to fall under the blanket of night, similar to the dome of magic created with a Gravity spell. A dust of sparkling stars fell like a drizzle of rain on the Poison Ivies.

Each enemy was struck multiple times by the Stardust Ray; the tiny gas projectiles burned each one. The stars missed the blonde, but the Poison Ivies all burst into dark debris. The gas was somehow cleared as well.

The teen started to breathe again normally and seemed somewhat relieved. He let his guard down, at last; dropped his kunai, plopped onto the ground, and started furiously scratching his arms. Red XIII hopped down the small hill and approached him.

"That gas is not poisonous, is it?" Red asked.

The blonde shook his head vigorously, continuing to scratch and not yet turning to look at him. "It's like poison ivy. . . . It doesn't poison you . . . it makes you . . . ITCH!" He began scratching harder; the allergic reaction was evidently a violent one.

"Hold the phone. . . ." His fingers slowed as he twisted to regard the Quadra-pedal animal and his eyes widened. Right away he jumped up and turned around, thus landing in a crouch in front of him. "Whoa! Dude, look at you! And you talk, too! I don't remember any lion summons from my world. . . ." He stopped and leaned over with a raised brow. "Are you my spirit guide?"

Red XIII almost rolled his eye and nearly felt a singe of regret for helping him. Humans—they were delusional. They could be absolute morons when it came to animals. A "spirit guide"? If such a thing existed, it was not Red XIII. Without saying a word, he turned tail and left.

"Oi! Wait up! Red!" The boy scrambled to his feet and jostled after him, scratching when the itch was too unbearable to ignore. "My name's Hane! What's yours?"

The lion-_like_ animal sighed mentally. _What have I done?_

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were able to step out of the Gummi once it crashed into an almost hidden portion of the river. Luckily, it was buoyant enough not to sink, acting much like a boat, though they could not operate it to shore and were indeed out of luck in that respect. However they were lucky the boat did not sink above the opening's threshold—then all would have been lost.

The trio swam to the shore, quickly finding shallow waters one could wade in. Sora took off his hoodie and wrung it out; Donald and Goofy did the same with their hats. The trio replaced the garments and started scanning the area.

"Kinda like Deep Jungle, huh?" Sora pointed out. "'Cept this time, Hiki's the one that made the mistake, and the three of us managed to stay inside the Gummi." He laced his fingers behind his head. "So, where do we start looking for Red and Hiki?"

The howl of Red XIII echoed from the forest, scaring a good amount of blackbirds into flight. Since the last time they followed a howl, they were led to a giant Heartless, they drew their weapons and followed the sound.

* * *

The waterfall continued its quiet descent to the nigh motionless river, acting as no disturbance for the two teens sitting together cross-legged on one of the flat rocks. There was a gentle mist that helped keep the spot cool under the rays of light that penetrated the trees.

"Why were you inside him for so long?" Riku asked. He sat next to her so their arms, knees, and legs touched. He was staring at her profile while she indirectly looked at him through their reflection in the water. "If you've been with him since we escaped the islands, and you found your body hours later. . . . Why did you wait until now?"

"I didn't know right away that I was right. I didn't really recognize her to be me—she was so different. . . . And Sora didn't register her last name right away, either. She showed glimmers of me and sure—I got it. But it's a little hard to exercise your ability as a heart when you're weak and broken. I wasn't _able_ to make the whole transition until now."

His expression was hard to read in the reflection, due in part to the transient surface. When he turned his head and faced forward, she could only see that he was not smiling, but could not be sure that he was frowning. She twisted to look at him directly, and he seemed to be deep in thought; he scowled. "Riku?"

He closed his eyes and gave a light smile, boxing the idea. Then he shifted away from her a little and uncrossed his legs before he twisted toward her. One leg was bent up whilst the one nearest Hikari was bent under him. His left elbow rested on the higher knee as he supported himself with the other. He was gazing into her eyes. "Come with me."

". . . ?" A suffusion lit up her face. "Where?"

"There's a woman named Maleficent," he began. He did not react to her expression's small shift to surprise, taking it for something as simple as that. "She's helping me find a way to help Kairi. But for that, I need to find someone. This world—Chesapeake Forests—has a tribe of Indians, and she's the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas. She also has a pure heart of light."

Hikari continued to stare at him with her widened eyes. Her mouth was closed because she did not even attempt speech. Her face began to flush with embarrassment, coloring her like the morning sunrise as an idea suddenly dawned on her; rather, she remembered something she had forgotten too easily.

Riku was on the wrong side—the side of darkness.

He tilted his head curiously. "Something wrong?"

She turned her head forward. It was too hard to look at him, even his reflection. She laced her fingers in her lap. "So I guess you 'found' Alice, too, huh?" There was no bitterness in her voice . . . only disappointment.

He frowned. To his ears, it was still an accusing inquiry. "Yeah. I was looking for you. Everything I did brought me a step closer to finding you, and here we are, together." He reached over and cupped her opposite cheek, making her face him.

She gazed into each of his eyes, darting between the two. She covered his hand with hers. It amazed her how different they seemed, how much darker they appeared. She thought she could see a yellowish tint, making them green. "Riku . . . come with _me_ . . . and Sora."

"What?"

Her eyes were pleading. "I can't do the 'Bonnie and Clyde' scenario. I've already flirted with the darkness once, and it's left its mark on my body forever. Maleficent's like Orochimaru—," she pulled his hand down from her cheek and held it in both hands; she had shifted so she kneeled toward him, "—she'll just use you until she gets what she wants from you, and she'll toss you aside, let the darkness consume you. Meanwhile, you're just her puppet!"

He removed his hand from her grasp and recoiled. "I'm not a puppet! My heart won't be consumed by the darkness that easy. I'm stronger than that." Desiring to be reassuring rather than defensive, he softened a bit; his voice was smooth. "You don't have to worry."

The voice did little to soothe her fears. There was a great tension in her, one that would not be relaxed through mere words. She could hardly look at him, even when she tried forcing herself. "Me _and_ Sora are worried—"

Riku slammed the side of his fist on the rock and snapped. "Stop saying his name!" Before Hikari could utter a syllable, he turned and leaned back onto his hips before springing into the water and about-faced. The river's depth took over more than half his shins. "I don't care about his feelings. He already replaced Kairi and me—!"

He stopped for a moment and remembered when he and Maleficent had gazed through the window of the small house in Traverse Town, what he had thought when seeing Sora and the girl who, before he had known so, was Hikari's body. Catching a glimpse of that, he had felt like Sora replaced Kairi's memory with her . . . with Hikari.

"'Replaced'? You're the first question he usually asks when we get somewhere—he asks just about everyone, and always has a sad puppy-dog look on his face when he doesn't find a lead on your whereabouts. You know how effortlessly he makes friends—but he never forgets them, especially his _best_ friends. That's you and Kairi!"

He turned around to face her with a scowl, seeming to have let the meaning of her words go over his head. His tone was bitter, when he spoke. "Are you defending him because you replaced Kairi in his heart? Do you want to be 'Jack and Jill' with him?"

"Never!" snapped Hikari, appalled. When her body had no clue what was going on there had been question, but it certainly had not come to her heart; there was only Riku. His accusations were becoming more absurd by the second, and her pulse was starting to race—she was worried and becoming frustrated. "I only ever wanted to be friends with Sora, you know that!"

The silver-haired teen took a step closer to her, fists clenched. "No, it's more. You're choosing him over me. You _believe_ in him and not me. Just because he has that stupid Keyblade!"

_Riku. . . ._ She stood up and faced him, regarding him directly as she tried convincing him. "It's not like that! It's . . . not even you two. It's me. I made myself a promise that the feelings of 'Hiki'—heart, mind, and body—wouldn't be ignored. Seeing you . . . I already got a little carried away.

"I owe King Mickey for helping me out. It's because of him, not Maleficent, that I regained myself. He sent me on this journey with Sora, and he was gracious enough to let me stay at the castle before—even though I didn't have a heart and had the same eyes as a Heartless." She held her chin up a little higher and spoke with a little more conviction. "I'm doing what I think is right. My loyalty is to King Mickey, not Maleficent. Please, Riku. Try to see. . . ."

A shadow was cast over his eyes by his scowling brow as he glanced to his right, totally silent. His head was slightly downturned and to the side; thus, when he looked at her, he almost appeared to be glancing up. "So, I guess that's it then," he said as he back away.

Hikari took a step toward him and raised a brow. "What's it?"

His eyes were bitter and cold as a corridor of darkness sprang into existence behind him. "The two of us—we're done." He pointed at his chest with his thumb, where a tiny, almost insignificant sparkle of light manifested. "I'll hold onto this, though. Something to remember you by. You don't need more emotions to overwhelm you, do you?"

". . . !" She stepped off the rock and into the water, forgetting to employ chakra so she would walk along the surface. She probably would have covered more ground in that fashion. Instead, she splashed a lot of the water as she tried running toward him, but he slipped away into the dark corridor too quickly. It closed behind him.

"Riku!" She yelled in vain, stopping where he had stood previously. _"Riku!"_ Her fists clenched, she shut her eyes, she grit her teeth, and kicked the water, letting herself fall afterwards onto her butt. Most of her body below her waist was under the surface, but her knees poked through since she had them bent up. Her elbows were partially submerged, too.

She grabbed onto a section of her hair and pulled it back. Some tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, dews full of sadness and frustration; her shoulders felt tense, as well. But the tears were not shed.

Funny. . . she was managing her emotions easier already, in spite of it all.

**End of Chapter Thirty-one**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-two: Capture

It had to be the tribe he spoke of. So she hoped. The way he had worded it suggested there was solely one tribe, but it did not necessarily refute the possibility of other Native American inhabitants. Either way, her chances of finding Pocahontas—and of running into Riku—were greater if she joined these men.

Releasing the handles of her weapons, she took a gamble and raised her arms in surrender. She scanned their suspicious gazes, keeping hers neutral. Since they had shown themselves instead of attacking her from the shadows, killing her without discretion, she deduced their intention was to capture her.

Their language differed from English, but she spoke it anyway, thinking there was the slight chance they would understand at least some of her words. She kept her voice light and even. "Uh, hi . . . I'm not here to hurt anyone. My friends and I—we're trying to stop the Heartless, but I got separated from them—lost. My name is Hikari."

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	32. Capture

Recappy From the Last Chappy: His eyes were bitter and cold as a corridor of darkness sprang into existence behind him. "The two of us—we're done." He pointed at his chest with his thumb, where a tiny, almost insignificant sparkle of light manifested. "I'll hold onto this, though. Something to remember you by. You don't need more emotions to overwhelm you, do you?"

". . . !" She stepped off the rock and into the water, forgetting to employ chakra so she would walk along the surface. She probably would have covered more ground in that fashion. Instead, she splashed a lot of the water as she tried running toward him, but he slipped away into the dark corridor too quickly. It closed behind him.

"Riku!" She yelled in vain, stopping where he had stood previously. _"Riku!"_ Her fists clenched, she shut her eyes, she grit her teeth, and kicked the water, letting herself fall afterwards onto her butt. Most of her body below her waist was under the surface, but her knees poked through since she had them bent up. Her elbows were partially submerged, too.

She grabbed onto a section of her hair and pulled it back. Some tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, dews full of sadness and frustration; her shoulders felt tense, as well. But the tears were not shed.

Funny. . . she was managing her emotions easier already, in spite of it all.

**Chapter Thirty-two: Capture**

The sky to which Hikari was opening her eyes was saturated with warm hues beginning to give way to the looming dusk. She laid flat on her back atop one of the stones with her legs hanging over the edge, eyes drowsy and squinting. Her lips pursed, for the colors of the sky and the feel of water around her calves reminded her of Destiny Islands—as if she needed another reason to think back and reminisce.

It was hard to swallow that the boy from the Islands, whose strength and style allowed him to capture her heart figuratively, was now the rapscallion who withheld the final shard of her heart literally.

How had her heart become so fragile, she wondered. She supposed her childhood might have left it bruised and battered, but did the saying not go "that which does not kill me only makes me stronger"? Or was it "the straw that broke the camel's back" that came into play?

_I have a hazy memory of someone when I was very young. . . . I can't remember his name, and his face is hard to picture. I think he was brunette and had long bangs on the sides of his face. His soothing voice, though, spoke clearly to me, the only thing I remember him saying: "You have to stay strong. Strength of heart will carry you through the toughest of trials."_

_Oh . . . does that mean I let someone down, too?_

She lifted the hand whose backside rested on her forehead and gazed at her wrist, which was decorated with the three summon gems she had obtained thus far. One was Neji Hyuuga, a lavender-white gem just like the color of his byakugan eyes. He had fought Naruto during part three of the Chuunin Exams and lost.

The second was Rock Lee, a green gem colored the very same as the garish green jumpsuit he typically sported. He had apparently fought Gaara in part two of the Chuunin Exams, a kind of preliminary for part three, and left it with a severely damaged arm and leg; since she had not been there, it was Naruto who had told her.

The last gem, Kimimarou, she had intended to get rid of a while ago, and drew a furrow in her brow. Also green yet of a vivid shade, it looked much like his eyes. He had been a kid like her, maybe a few years older, when Orochimaru decided he was his shiny new toy. Eventually it resulted in him giving Hikari a "parting gift" and leaving her quite possibly for dead. It had been in using his bloodline that she ended up poisoned . . . but it was also what saved her from dying during battle with Sasori.

Both encounters with Kimimarou, in life and tool, were bittersweet. On the one hand, he had saved her. The amount of corruption she could have undergone with prolonged exposure to the snake's sinister ways indeed could have been worse than the seal on her body . . . on the other hand, that corruption could have been temporary; the seal was permanent. And in tool, she was both saved and potentially killed.

There was an illness she felt inside the gem. Its ailments had not been inflicted on her, but mingling her chakra with his created some kind of connection, temporary as it may be. He had this handicap, his heart was steeped in darkness, he followed Orochimaru so blindly—enough that she knew he would be a willing vessel—yet she ended up with the broken heart?

Continuing to stare at him, Hikari sat up and held the gem in the fingers of her other hand. She unhooked it from her bracelet, eyes flinty. Her finger curled around the stone and her mouth closed in a straight, grim line. Silently, she closed her eyes, brushed her lips against the gem, and opened her eyes again. ". . . ." Then, she chucked him across the breadth, let him skip like a rock across the river. He slipped over the edge and disappeared into the brush.

She heard a grunt coming from that direction.

It was both alarm and a glimmer of hope that made her jump up and speak Riku's name. Quickly she realized his return was not the case when men with dark hair, copper skin, and either with spears or bows and arrows climbed out of obscurity. They spoke to one another in a language she could not understand and approached her with bows drawn.

She was about to draw her tantos, but hesitated when she thought about what Riku said before they argued: _"There's a woman named Maleficent. She's helping me find a way to help Kairi. But for that, I need to find someone. This world—Chesapeake Forests—has a tribe of Indians, and she's the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas. She also has a heart of pure light."_

It had to be the tribe he spoke of. So she hoped. The way he had worded it suggested there was solely one tribe, but it did not necessarily refute the possibility of other Native American inhabitants. Either way, her chances of finding Pocahontas—and of running into Riku—were greater if she joined these men.

Releasing the handles of her weapons, she took a gamble and raised her arms in surrender. She scanned their suspicious gazes, keeping hers neutral. Since they had shown themselves instead of attacking her from the shadows, killing her without discretion, she deduced their intention was to capture her.

Their language differed from English, but she spoke it anyway, thinking there was the slight chance they would understand at least some of her words. She kept her voice light and even. "Uh, hi . . . I'm not here to hurt anyone. My friends and I—we're trying to stop the Heartless, but I got separated from them—lost. My name is Hikari."

The Native Americans looked at one another, but their brows remained taut with distrust. A few of them came up behind her with some rope they used to bind her wrists together behind her. One of them spoke to her in his native tongue, but the meaning of his words was lost on her. While one held her from behind, a pair walked with her at her flanks with their spears pointed at her neck. The rest walked around them, leading the way to—she assumed—their camp.

* * *

Flashes of copper skin and long, coal black hair passed the trees as a slender young woman ran through the woods. She was clad in a flattering strapless dress that draped down to her thigh and there was an orange armlet-like tattoo adorning her left bicep. Disturbed by each stride, a turquoise necklace with a white pendant bounced about her collarbone.

Her bare feet pushed from the muddy shore onto a tree root resting above the surface of the water. Leafy tendrils appeared to part the way for her, leading her to a stump before the trunk of a tree set in the dead center of the lake. Her sepia eyes were frantic.

The face of an old woman formed in the trunk, and a raccoon climbed out of the water by the woman's feet. A green hummingbird hovered nearby as the tree spoke. "The earth is trembling, child. What's happened?"

The woman looked at the tree over her shoulder. "The warriors are here, Grandmother Willow."

"Pocahontas."

The name was voiced by a slender yet muscular man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and noticeably fairer skin than the Indian. His uniform was the same color as his eyes and covered a tall form as he jumped along the same roots as she. He stopped in front of her.

"John." The bright red lips of the woman named Pocahontas spoke his name with great fervor, a profound affection that also came out as relief and surprise at his presence. She turned to him.

"Listen to me." John held her hands as he gazed into her eyes. "My men are planning to attack your people, you've got to warn them." His hand traveled her elbow, an action which she mirrored.

Her eyes were passed him. "Maybe it's not too late to stop this," she thought out loud. Having made up her mind, she took his hand and started leading him back down the path whence they came. "You have to come with me to talk to my father."

He pulled her back. "Pocahontas, talking isn't going to do any good. I already tried talking to my men, and everything about this place has them spooked!"

The howling of a mysterious creature eerily echoed throughout the forest, followed by a chorus of screaming. Pocahontas, John, Grandmother Willow, Meeko (the raccoon,) and Flit (the hummingbird) all looked at the dark hill from where the sounds originated. There stood something that almost looked to be a tree, yet had dog-like legs—it stood in shadow.

"That's the strangest creature I've ever seen!" exclaimed Grandmother Willow.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran quickly to try and escape the bizarre, stumbling creature without tripping over themselves or the spooky black roots liberated from the ground. "I can fight Heartless, and the Akatsuki and Maleficent, but how'm I supposed to hit a GHOST!" shouted the wielder of the Keyblade.

The trio jumped into the shallow end of the lake at the bottom of the hill and looked back at the monster on their tail. The shadow of the night made it appear more fearsome that it truly was, for it was not very sizable and actually rather clumsy. In almost no time its short legs found a root and tripped, bringing the creature to roll all the way down on its side. The sounds escaping sounded more like the nauseated growls of an unfortunate canine.

Their heads turned to follow the creature as it was hit by the moonlight. The top three-quarters was a log with two spooky branches almost resembling arms. The creature hit a bump toward the bottom of the hill, halting the log but something popped out of the end like a cork and sailed through the air.

It was a dog; a small white one resembling a domestic pug, to be thorough. John caught him by the waist, upside down. "Percy?"

A suffusion was plain on each face of the Heartless-fighting trio, but Donald quickly swept it under the rug. He crossed his arms and raised his bill in defiance. "Well, I knew from the start it wasn't a ghost! Ghosts are see-through."

"What!" Sora turned to him. "You were the first one to turn tail and run away! We followed you!"

Goofy pointed at the duck's arm, though his tone was a little more teasing than Sora's accusing. "Donald, you've still got goosebumps!"

"Waaaaak!"

As Goofy tried to mediate between the duck and the boy, Percy's head leaned back far enough that he could see behind him, and his eyes met with the raccoon's. He snapped without a hesitation, barking and snapping his outrage. "Percy! Easy, Percy, calm down!"

The dog broke free and darted for Meeko, continuing to bark madly. Pocahontas started to chase also, performing the same role as Goofy with just as much success: none. John shook his head. "See what I mean? Once two sides want to fight, you can't stop them."

In spite of his doubt, he joined Pocahontas in trying to make the animals behave. Small in proportion to the humans, they were rather elusive and kept slipping through their fingers. Eventually Meeko quite literally pulled Flit into the fray for defense. He stiffened his friend into a dagger shape he used to try and ward Percy. . . . He gave up rather quickly and climbed up one of the hanging vines.

Sora and Donald continued arguing and Percy's incessant barking was uninterrupted at the end of the vine.

Grandmother Willow was not going to tolerate it. _**"Alright! That's enough!"**_

The three that had been making noise all became rigidly frozen. The pug, teetering on the edge of the stump, tipped over and was mostly submerged in the superficial water. Only his curly, swine-like tail was above-surface. One of Grandmother Willow's vines curled around his tail and lifted him before gently laying him back down on the stump.

"It's enough to make you sad, boy. Now then, there's something I want to show you." Grandmother Willow used the same vine to disturb the surface of the water, barely penetrating the thin membrane. A ripple slowly expanded from that point.

Pocahontas brushed her hair over one shoulder and spoke softly. "The ripples. . . ."

Sora gave a questioning look similar to John's and took a step toward them to better see, creating more ripples. It was the blonde, however—sitting in a crouch on the root with one knee and his elbow resting on the higher leg—that asked, "What about them?"

"So small at first, but look at how they _grow,_" said the elderly tree. "But someone has to start them."

The brunette averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, shifting a little. He glanced at Donald. "Still pals?"

He nodded and grunted affirmatively.

Dubious of a positive outcome stemming from this advice, the blonde man gandered over his shoulder at her. "They're not going to listen to us."

"Sometimes, young man, the right path is not the easiest one." She lifted the root John was on so he was made to stand and slide down it, thus meeting Pocahontas at the end. "See, only when the fighting stops can you be together."

They held each other's hands and smiled warmly, exchanging gazes. Although a little reluctant, John conceded in the end. "Alright. Let's go talk to your father."

The native woman grinned and embraced him, closing her eyes. This apparent scenario of two lovers meeting in secret for they belonged to warring parties reminded the Keybearer of a play he had read in school—The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Grandmother Willow shifting her vines to hide the couple from outside eyes was like a closing curtain. Meeko and Percy—as well as Flit, once the raccoon reached through the vines to pull him out—were left out as well.

The way they had not directly acknowledged them made it seem more like a play instead of reality also. "This is a little awkward," the brunette commented as his little boy blues regarded the curtain of ivy. "We didn't get to introduce ourselves. . . . Think they forgot we were here?"

"I don't know." Donald crossed his arms and winked. "They're pretty busy. They were talking like star-crossed lovers. . . ."

Goofy's brow had a mild wrinkle of worry. "I like the love stories with happy endings. . . ."

Jiminy jumped up from Sora's hood onto his shoulder, drawing their attention. "I want to know what the fuss is all about; why everyone's fightin' everybody and why no one'll listen. Do you think there are Heartless here?"

"If there are Heartless, then we've definitely gotta do something about it," said Sora. "This world probably has a Keyhole, too. But maybe we should find out why the people are fighting each other and try to help!"

Donald turned toward him and rested his fists on his hips. "Wak! Oh, no you don't! We don't know anything about what's going on, and they said they're gonna talk it out. We can't help, we'd just be meddling. We have to find Hiki and Red XIII!"

Goofy agreed. "A-hyuck! Find Hiki and Red XIII first, muddle later."

The duck lifted a finger. "Ah-ah! Find Hiki and Red XIII first, _meddle_ later. . . . Wak! I mean no medd—!"

"I guess you have a point," he admitted. He pointed his Keyblade in the direction Pocahontas came from, holding onto it despite the fact that the sole potential enemy encounter thus far had been a small white pug stuck in a log. "Let's look for them that way. No luck or sign of either of them on this side of the lake."

Donald offered an annoyed sigh at the interruption but tried letting it go—it was not often Sora agreed not to dive straight into an issue. They had done a bad job thus far in keeping out of the affairs of other worlds. With luck, this would be resolved by the time they found their teammates.

The three of them continued their search.

* * *

At present still in captivity, Hikari was brought back to the village her captors called home—or some word she could not translate. It was a lot smaller than Konoha, and there was no complex building on the site. The sole structures were tents shaped like upside down cones called "teepees" and longhouses made from logs. There was little diversity in the people, for they all had copper skin and black hair, the exception being older persons whose hair was grey.

Hikari was taken to one of the teepees and stripped of her tantos, shuriken holster, kunai pouch, and shuriken earrings. Two men still held their spears to her neck as one of them removed the rope from around her wrists, only to have her kneel and tie her hands to the post in the center behind her. She was left alone inside the teepee, but she could see through a minuscule opening that there were two guardsmen.

"Wonder what they do with captives, here," she mumbled quietly to herself. Unless there was someone in this village who could speak English, they would be unable to question her and determine whether she was threat or asset.

In any case, she was not going to wait and find out. They had taught her many things in the Academy: stealth and the fundamentals of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, among other things. One was an Escape Jutsu that allowed the user to liberate his or herself of certain bonds without the aid of weaponry, or at times chakra. Though she had not employed it outside of practicing for Academy Exams, it was not a difficult technique, so she worked it in almost no time at all.

Voices coming from the entrance of the tent drew her attentiveness in that direction once more. Of course, she could not understand what was being said, but she noted one of the participants in the conversation had something off in his speech—like an accent. He appeared to be trying to convince someone of something.

Quietly she crept around the teepee to the left side of the opening in the flap, careful to remain hidden in the shadows. She snuck a peek, but was only able to see the bodies of three men. Her guardsmen were copper-skinned, but the third—arguably an adolescent—was light-skinned, like her. He appeared to be wearing zori and have a shuriken holster as well.

_Hmmm. . . . He's probably the one with the accent. He can't be native . . . ,_ she wondered silently.

The talking stopped and the copper men shifted, like they were exchanging glances. They moved their spears so the boy could pass; he responded with a teeth-baring grin and another word, probably of thanks. Hikari moved deeper in shadows in an attempt to ensure her invisibility.

He opened the flap a little bit more than she had supposed he would but she remained stiff, knowing that even the slightest movement could draw his eye her way. No light touched her. He ducked and entered, looking straight forward to the post and let the flap close behind her.

It was difficult to recognize his profile in the dark, but his hair appeared fair in contrast to the Native Americans. Some moonlight that peeked through an opening at the top of the teepee, where the wood holding the thing up met, but the shadows were deep enough that she could not discern even the expression he wore. He made a sound of inquiry. "Huh? She should be right here. . . ."

After he took a few more steps toward the abandoned post, just as he began to twist her way and glance behind, she jumped him and forced him to fall.

An initial yelp was all the sound he made, followed by some sounds of struggle as his back met the ground. She held his wrists together above him and covered his mouth, using her arms to pin him down. Trapping his thighs and knees between her legs, she fought to keep control.

In response to his attempts to scream and break free, she whispered, "Stop struggling and stay quiet! I don't want to get rough with you." Then, she made a face, realizing something was smeared all over his body.

The boy opened his eyes and abruptly ceased his opposition. There was a two-syllable hum she felt against her hand as he said something. Although it was muffled, it sounded incredulous, and caused Hikari to regard him with a perplexed look.

Beneath those long, girly eyelashes were bright, pupiless orange eyes that she realized were familiar. "Ha-hane!"

"Mm-hmm!"

Hikari let go of his wrists and sat up to the point that she was on her knees, taken aback. There was a large smile across Hane's face as he sat up and hugged her tightly. "Ha! Hiki Uzumaki. I can't believe it! Hey, you know, I had a dream about that scenario once . . . 'cept you _promised_ to get rough."

"Ah! Hane. . . ." She did not return his embrace and allowed his statement to go over her head. Strange, how she had thought of him only a few hours ago for the first time in a long time and now he was before her. When he released her, she looked at him from top down and noticed that under whatever goo he sported were some red blotches. "What is that!"

He looked down. "Oh! Guess you've never encountered a Poison Ivy Heartless, huh? It gives you a rash, like the plant does—if you're allergic to it. This is actually kinda mild. . . . The village shaman gave me a eucalyptus treatment to help soothe it."

The voices of the guardsmen drew the shinobi's attention to the teepee entrance. Hikari jumped up as they entered and took on a defensive stance when it seemed they were going to incarcerate her once more. Hane, however, rolled up to his feet and stood between them. He faced the two men, stretched his arms out, and waved his hands to keep them at bay as he appealed his fellow blonde's case.

With a light smile on her face, the kunoichi watched him. He still wore a broad grin on his face, excited as ever. His eyes were bright, and everything about him was so familiar. He spoke this strange language with little hesitation in his choice of words, so fluent that only the accent and his appearance gave it away that he was not a native. He looked to be so much the same, yet at the same time very different.

Then she thought of Riku, how the exact opposite seemed to be true, and her smile faltered. She closed her eyes.

* * *

Although usually one to save his ganders to the heavens for daylight hours, Shikamaru substituted the clouds and their formations for the stars and constellations. His small, almond-colored orbs were nigh unblinking as he concentrated on those twinkling lights. He laid on the roof of a wooden structure with his arms crossed beneath his head and one leg bent under the other.

What appeared to be the simple stare of a star-gazer was actually the working scowl of a tactical genius. He looked at the stars, now so few with the disappearances of other worlds, and moved them in many ways, drafting hundreds of scenarios in an intricate web of strategies should he meet those men in the black coats with red clouds again.

He was not certain whether he had seen Yuugito's death or simply her kidnapping, but he was definitely going to avenge his comrade. He was going to put an end to those heathens with inhuman capabilities, he thought as he closed his eyes.

The _tak_ of zori interrupted his process of thought and drew him to open his eyes. He jumped a little. Hovering over him were two blonde countenances; one he knew as Hane, and the other he almost did not recognize. It had been a long time since he had been close to her, and even longer since the days he, she, Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji skipped class. He sat up. "Hiki?"

"How troublesome, it's you," she replied with a perfect mime of his typical annoyed look. She smiled and knelt. "Hehe, it's been a long time, Shikamaru. You look like you haven't changed a bit though."

He smiled too. "That's probably the case." He looked at her and paused. "Something about you is a little different though. What've you been up to?"

She opened her mouth, but it was the other blonde who spoke. "Heh! Get this: she was caught! I just vouched for her and got her outta the pokey! I'm tellin' ya, they're really gettin' biased over this whole 'white man' thing. No way they'd be as trusting of us if we hadn't come three years ago. . . . They said it was 'cause of her chakra, too."

The kunoichi crossed her arms. "Correction: I _let_ myself be captured. I'm not supposed to meddle in the affairs of other worlds, but I figured it would be easier to find the village this way than to try and tail them since they already spotted me." She looked at Hane. "And what's with this 'white man' and 'chakra' bias?"

He adjusted himself so he sat cross-legged and explained. "Easy. Because the Heartless showed up right around the time the white men came here and set up camp. Chief Powhatan's ordered us to avoid them as much as possible, wanted most of the villagers to stay out of the forests. I don't know what those guys are here for, but whatever it is, it's drawing Heartless here like crazy—some areas more than others.

"As for chakra, well—there are a couple shady characters around here, too. 'Men with energy like ours.' They kidnapped Yuugito after knocking her around pretty bad. Shika saw it, but was too late." Hane regarded the Chuunin. "Yo, weren't they all matchy-matchy, too? Couple o' weirdoes?"

Shikamaru was now solemn. The nostalgia in his eyes had vanished alongside mirth once Yuugito's victimization had been mentioned. "Yeah. A pair dressed in black robes with red clouds."

Hikari's eyes widened and she stood on her knees. "You saw men dressed in black robes with red clouds? Were either one of them named Itachi?"

He appeared slightly surprised by her intensity. "No. . . . They were Kakuzu and Hidan, and they talked about searching for something called a 'Keyhole' next. Mentioned gold, too."

Disappointed, the kunoichi closed her mouth and settled onto her haunches. They were still Akatsuki—evidently Yuugito was a jinchuuriki—but she had greater desire to deal with the one of the pair who kidnapped her brother. "I see."

Hane leaned forward to see her face. "Hey hey hey! What's that look for? Who's this weasel Itachi?"

"He wears the same robe as the two Shikamaru saw. I haven't met him in person, but I've met a couple more of their organization, and defeated one so far. They're a group of S-rank criminals from our world who've teamed up with a woman named Maleficent. She seems to be the reason why a lot of worlds are disappearing."

She hesitated. She could go on to explain what it was the Akatsuki were after—the jinchuuriki—but she was not sure she wanted to be the one to break it to them that Yuugito likely had a Heartless sealed within her. While it was marginally possible she was one of the nine maidens with hearts of pure light, the Akatsuki tended to go after jinchuuriki, seeing as Deidara took Gaara and Itachi grabbed Naruto. It was Riku who swiped the maidens.

Then she remembered: Pocahontas. She was Riku's next target. She was one with a heart of pure light. She was why she had let herself get caught. _Riku. . . ._

She shook the thought from her head. "Hane. Is there someone named Pocahontas in this village?"

"Eh? Yeah, she's the chief's daughter. Nice gal." His eyes drifted to the entrance of the village, where many people were gathering. His brow became crooked. "Actually . . . I think she's right over there. . . . Wait a second, why is everyone bunched up like that . . . ?" His eyes widened and he jumped off the longhouse. "Hey, let's go check this out!"

Following Hane, Hikari and Shikamaru hopped off the roof and proceeded toward the forest's edge. Most of the village was gathering there, speaking in horrified whispers and were scanning the group that had returned, appearing to look for someone. The name "Kocoum" produced reaction.

Shikamaru and Hane were somber; the former spoke; his voice still had a bit of a "what a drag" tone to it, coupled with some sympathy. "Oh, no. . . . Kocoum's gone." He glanced at Hikari and explained. "He was a brave warrior, and was supposed to marry Pocahontas and become the next chief. Didn't know the guy well though." He turned his head a little toward a man who stood before everyone else. "And that's Chief Powhatan."

Tall, slim, and muscular, the Native American tribe's chief was a man with presence. There was no mistaking his rank, for he was adorned with a feathered headdress atop his black Mohawk, carried a staff, and had a buckskin cape. He was as dismayed as the rest. Immediately he started speaking in a demanding tone.

"What's he saying?" Hikari whispered to Hane; he was closest.

He leaned toward her but kept his eyes forward to translate. "He wants to know what happened." There was a pause as three more men came, two of them Native Americans lugging with them a captive white man—John Smith.

John put up some struggle as the Natives dragged him, but it did not do him any good. He was forced to kneel before Powhatan, and to look into his eyes when they lifted his head by his hair. "Pocahontas went into the woods, and Kocoum went to find her. Then that man—the one the chief's staring down—'sent dark creatures after him, and stole his heart.'

"But John—," the orange-eyed ninja gave a perplexed look, "—he's been secretly seeing Pocahontas, so she shouldn't've been in danger. . . . I don't see him just attacking Kocoum out of the blue like that, not when it's in his best interest to _resolve_ what's going on between these groups. He's definitely not in league with the Heartless—I don't think any of the men are."

The girl glanced down before regarding the chief once more.

Powhatan approached the blonde captive and pointed a spear at his neck. "Your weapons are strong, but now our anger is stronger." He looked amongst the people. "At sunrise, he will be the first to die!"

Pocahontas stepped forward, eyes pleading; Hane pointed her out to Hikari. "But father. . . ."

Sternly, the chief regarded his daughter. "I told you to stay in the village. You disobeyed me! You have _shamed_ your father."

Her face twisted with contrition. "I was only trying to help."

He did not relent. "Because of your foolishness, the dark fiends stole Kocoum's heart!" He threw his arm and turned to leave. "Take him away!"

Deeply saddened, Pocahontas held her arm and could not watch directly as John was hauled away. As everyone (with the exception of Hikari, Hane, and Shikamaru) left, she knelt, bowed her head, and closed her eyes.

Hikari grabbed Hane's arm and approached the woman; their shadows were cast over her kneeling form. Tentatively, she looked up at them and glanced at Shikamaru when he came up next to them. His hands were in his pockets.

"Kocoum was just trying to protect me," she remarked sadly; her hand moved up her arm. "All of this happened because of me. . . . And now I'll never see John Smith again."

_Oh, she speaks English. I thought I was going to have to have Hane translate for me,_ thought Hikari. She released her former teammate and crouched down on one knee. "Hi, Pocahontas. My name is Hikari, I'm friends of Hane and Shikamaru."

She nodded and yielded a melancholy greeting.

Her eyes were sympathetic. "I'm sorry this happened, and . . . maybe this isn't the best time to bring this up, but I have something to ask of you." She paused, waiting for Pocahontas to say something, but was met only with quiet. "I need you to listen to your father and stay in the village."

The young woman looked up with a narrowed, inquisitive stare. "What?" Shikamaru and Hane appeared just as confused.

"You know how Yuugito was kidnapped by those men in black coats with red clouds? Er, men with 'energy like ours'?" She hesitated, picturing Riku's face when he left through the dark corridor. "There's also a boy with—with silver hair who said that you're next. And I think . . . going out into the forest will make you an easy target."

She closed her mouth and looked down. "I understand. . . ."

"Mm. . . ." Awkwardly she rested her arm on her leg. _Easier than I thought . . . . Maybe because disobeying earlier resulted in this._

"Hey." Hane hunkered to their level to hold both of Pocahontas's hands. His warmly colored eyes met her sepia irises and he smiled. "Follow me. Let's go pay him a visit! I'm sure he wants to see you." He straightened his legs and helped her up, releasing one of her hands so he could walk away with her.

Shikamaru watched him leave. "Sometimes he acts just like a girl."

Hikari smiled fondly. "Heh, a little bit, I guess. He was always that way. Affectionate and jubilant. An idiot." After seeing how much Riku had changed in so short a time, it was practically reassuring to see someone she knew be almost the same after such a long time. It was nice.

Out from the forest came Red XIII, having taken refuge in its shadows to hide from Hane and his tiring—although to some endearing—overjoy. Quietly he approached Hikari's side, almost unnoticed till the last moment.

"It was a misunderstanding," said the lion-like beast.

Hikari turned to him. "Ah! Red XIII, you're okay. I'm glad." She smiled and then pointed her thumb at her old classmate. "This is Shikamaru."

The boy nodded in acknowledgement. "What's a misunderstanding?"

"John Smith did not attack that man Kocoum. Kocoum attacked John Smith in a jealous rage, seeing him with Pocahontas. . . . Then a giant Heartless appeared, and stole Kocoum's heart. One of the other white men was going to help, but John told him to leave, and he ran. The Heartless went away when the other people of the tribe appeared."

"You saw it?"

He nodded. _After I shook off that Hane character._ "It all happened very quickly. . . ."

_That Heartless. . . . I wonder if it's Riku's. But that could also mean. . . ._The blonde pursed her lips and looked at Shikamaru. "It could've been the Akatsuki." She turned to walk in the direction the chief had left. "We should tell Chief Powhatan—!"

He grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "I doubt it'll matter to him. This whole situation is a total drag. . . . Even if John didn't sick the Heartless on Kocoum, it's bigger than that. Powhatan's going to want to make an example of him—you heard what he said. If you talk to him now, he'll probably think you're with him or something.

"And that boy, the one who saw everything, is going to run back to the camp and tell everyone John was captured. It's going to be war."

Her eyes narrowed and she looked down; her back was to him. _I know it's meddling. I know we're not supposed to do get in the middle of things like this, but—_ "If we don't do anything, John will die."

_The "no meddling" rule never made sense to me anyway._

Shikamaru smirked. "Who said we were going to stand idly by? An aggrieved Pocahontas would be an even bigger drag."

* * *

"Help! Help! Somebody help!"

A young red-headed man barely in the advent of adulthood ran from the forest to an encampment created by his allies. A tall fence comprised of logs from chopped-down trees enclosed the array of tents, but there was a small gap he entered as he yelled. "Help! Help!"

"Easy lad, what is it?" asked one of the men.

"They got him! They got John!"

"What? Who?"

"_The savages!"_

"Savages?"

Lanterns inside the tents were turned on one by one as the men not on lookout were roused from slumber. The men exited their tents and gathered around the youngest, murmuring amongst themselves.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy emerged from the forest in the young man's tracks. They scurried to the gap in the fence; when Goofy went a bit too far, Sora and Donald pulled him back, out of sight. They shushed one another and watched, waiting to see if they would need to meddle. "John? But didn't we just see him?" the brunette inquired.

"Where were they headed?"

The man—named Thomas—pointed. "They dragged him North!"

A scrawny man with his brunette hair tied back exited his tent with a candle in his hand. Wearing nothing more than a blue nightgown with a matching sleeping cap, he scurried to the other side of camp into a much grander tent, which he was pulled into. The portly man to whom the tent belonged covered the scrawny man's mouth.

"It's perfect, Wiggins! I couldn't have planned it better myself!" Governor Radcliffe mused quietly as he blew out the candle. Long black hair was tied in pigtails by red bows and a receding hairline almost seemed to be a window's peak. A dark mustache and goatee were disturbed by his sinister sneer. "That gold is as good as mine!"

"We have to save him!" Thomas exclaimed.

"'Tis right, he'd do the same for us!"

"And so we shall!" Radcliffe emerged from his tent flamboyantly. As he addressed the men, he spoke with charismatic gestures that riled up the men. "I told you those savages couldn't be trusted! Smith tried to befriend them, and look at what they've done to him! But now, I say it is time to rescue our courageous comrade. At dawn, we attack!"

The trio exchanged glances.

**End of Chapter Thirty-two**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-three: Just Like Alice

"But she's one of the nine princesses. If—," she hesitated to say his name, "—Riku finds her, and she's alone, he'll definitely take her back to Maleficent. Just like Alice."

Sora was taken aback. "Riku's here?"

* * *

This would be another chapter in which I wrote a scene that's been bugging me for a long time. Hiki was supposed to get rid of the Kimimarou gem probably ten chapters ago XD It was supposed to be almost directly after she figured out the gem was his; however, there never seemed to be a right time. . . . Better late than never?

Speaking of "better late than never" . . . I'm so sorry for the delay in posting. Time just flew—last week, I happened to see the date of my last post and my jaw dropped, realizing it had been five weeks XD It FELT like maybe two. So, I kicked it into high gear, and here we are. This one is a smidgen longer than the others. Over six thousand as opposed to five thousand.

Thanks for reading, God bless!


	33. Just Like Alice

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "And so we shall!" Radcliffe emerged from his tent flamboyantly. As he addressed the men, he spoke with charismatic gestures that riled up the men. "I told you those savages couldn't be trusted! Smith tried to befriend them, and look at what they've done to him! But now, I say it is time to rescue our courageous comrade. At dawn, we attack!"

The trio exchanged glances.

**Chapter Thirty-three: Just Like Alice **

It was nigh daybreak. Both factions had been preparing through the night for war and John Smith's execution. The hues of rage began to color the sky as they marched through the forest toward an area relatively clear of greenery. There was a moderately tall cliff, perhaps one story high, where the execution was meant to take place, and a valley not far below.

The Native Americans left their village. The white men marched from their encampment. Sora, Donald, and Goofy uneasily followed the soldiers' elongated shadows. Shikamaru and Red XIII waited in the forest near the cliff. Hane led Hikari through the forest. Pocahontas was AWOL.

"She usually visits Grandmother Willow when she's upset," Hane explained to his fellow blonde. He felled a few Heartless with shuriken and jumped on top of a fallen log. "I gave her a few moments with Johnny, and then she just ran off! Guess she said goodbye, and couldn't watch. . . ."

Hikari was frowning as she jumped up behind him. "She was supposed to stay in the village for her own safety. She's been targeted!" She watched where she jumped down. "We were going to have her try talking sense into the Chief, too. She's just—giving up on the one she loves."

"She didn't listen to the chief when he ordered her to stay away from the white men—you seriously thought she was gonna listen to you?" He openly laughed. "Speakin' o' the 'master plan,' though . . . shouldn't I be waitin' at the valley to do my part, too? It'd kinda give the wrong idea if only Shikamaru did his. . . ."

The kunoichi pouted and blushed. "I didn't think she would because I said it. But you'd think a direct threat would make someone think twice. And ideally—we find her and get back in time to continue as planned. Your flowers are set up, right?"

"Of course!" He grinned, closed his eyes, and spread his arms. Somehow, as the breeze blew through his hair, he appeared both energetic and at peace. "My chakra control was kinda whack when we were rookies—but I've really become more in touch with my spiritual chakra here, and can mold it better. You should see—I'm twice the ninja I used to be!"

"Well, I don't see how you could have gotten any worse. . . ."

"Hey!"

Abruptly, Pocahontas rushed passed them in the direction opposite of where they were trekking, a new resolve in her eyes. Exchanging glances, the blonde pair followed her quickly. Her feet pounded deliberately in the soft earth. She ignored the bend in the river and jumped across some logs within. As dawn bled into the sky, one could almost hear the expedited beating of war drums.

The Native American princess neared the cliff where her tribe was gathered. Warriors with bows and arrows stood back as Chief Powhatan hovered over John Smith at the edge. The latter was lying on his side with his hands tied behind him. The chief had in his hand a club.

In the valley below, Radcliffe and his men (as well as Sora, Donald, and Goofy) were assembled, near outrage. Some began to raise their guns, preparing to fire. Some large budded flowers were interspersed among them, appearing rather out-of-place.

She passed near Shikamaru and Red XIII, which signaled to the shinobi that it was time. While she broke through the crowd, he formed a few hand signs; most notably, the Rat. Deftly he manipulated his shadow into a single strand that stretched from him to the shadows of the Native Americans taking arms. Hane performed a string of seals that caused the buds in the valley to bloom into large, lovely gold blossoms; he and Hikari stopped near Red XIII and Shikamaru.

Those touched by Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu froze, finding themselves unable to move, and the blooms near Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Radcliffe and his men emitted an almost invisible paralytic gas that rendered them useless.

Chief Powhatan raised the club over his head, but the Shadow Possession Jutsu immobilized him before he could bring it down. Pocahontas threw herself over John Smith.

The copper-toned woman held the soldier; her hair spilled across his back. She was breathing heavy, and met her father's hostile eyes with unwavering determination. There was conviction in her voice. "If you want to kill him, then you'll have to kill me too."

Angrily, the chief replied, "Daughter, stand back."

"I won't!" She lifted her head so he could better see her eyes; they were pleading now, desperate for him to see. "I _love_ him, Father."

When Powhatan frowned deeply and regarded her with angry shock, she simply continued to appeal. "Look around you. This is where the path of hatred has brought us." Holding John a little tighter, she laid down on her temple. "This is the path _I_ choose. What will yours be?"

Shikamaru's shadow wavered. Usually he could hold it for a limit of five minutes per use, but with the amount of people he was holding, the time was shortened. It crept back to him, thus returning self-control to Powhatan and his tribe.

The chief lowered his arms and heeded his daughter's words, observing the men around him. His men still had their bows drawn and the men below—as the effects of the paralytic fumes wore off—were trying to raise their guns if they had not already.

A soft wind carrying some colorful leaves blew through his hair and around his face. He closed his eyes and listened with his heart; he allowed the wind's spirit to guide him. It spoke to him in soft whispers.

As the wind passed them, a few of Radcliffe's men lowered their guns and exchanged looks, feeling doubt. Sora and Donald's eyes followed the leaves; Goofy chuckled, as though tickled.

Chief Powhatan opened his eyes, held his club with two hands, and thrust it over his head, but not in a threatening fashion. As the wind continued to blow, he addressed the entire assembly—in English. "My daughter speaks with wisdom beyond her years. We have all come here with anger in our hearts, but she comes with courage and understanding. From this day forward, if there is to be any killing, it will not start with me." He lowered the club and touched the tip to the ground.

Pocahontas sat up and smiled at John. She helped him stand as her father ordered his release. An Indian stepped up and cut the ropes around his wrists. The couple embraced.

Radcliffe grit his teeth as he watched his men lower their guns. Pocahontas and Chief Powhatan's speeches having not swayed him, he drew his sword and pointed it at the chief. "Now's our chance. Fire!"

Thomas stepped out of line and spoke firmly. "No."

"What?"

"They let him go," said Sora.

Donald added, "They don't want to fight!"

The rotund male lowered his blade, not believing his ears. "It's a trick! Don't you see?" His eyes scanned all of the pale faces. They all stood their ground, ignoring the order. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had their arms crossed and shot him disapproving glares.

Angered, he dropped his sword and let it soundlessly hit the dirt. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" He ripped one of the other men's guns from their hands, aimed at Chief Powhatan, and pulled the trigger—only, the bullet hit a different target.

"John!"

The blonde soldier jumped in front of the shot to protect the father of the woman he loved, and was hit in his side. Pocahontas knelt at his side and placed her hands over his, which covered the wound. Hikari, Hane, Shikamaru, and Red XIII joined her and Powhatan around him. On both sides, the men—including Radcliffe—were watching in horror. Then accusations began to fly.

"You shot him!"

"No, he—he stepped right into it!"

The gun was taken from the governor's hands and he was wrapped in chains by his men. John Smith was gently lifted and carried away to see Kakata, the village shaman.

* * *

Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Red XIII, Hane, and Shikamaru stood back and watched Pocahontas say goodbye to John Smith. The gunshot wound was serious to the point where even Donald's Curaga would not mend it; moreover, medical technologies in the forests were insufficient for long-term treatment. He was returning to London, or else he would die.

Chief Powhatan's buckskin cape was laid over John's body from the waist down. The blonde freed his hand from beneath to stroke Pocahontas's cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. The valedictions given were very sorrowful, and the Native Woman was reluctant to stand back next to her father.

Following in the wake of another small boat carrying the imprisoned Radcliffe, Thomas and another crewman pushed John's boat off the shore for the much larger ship in deeper waters. As they watched them leave, Powhatan placed his hand on Pocahontas's shoulder and she touched it.

"Pocahontas looks so sad . . . ," Sora thought aloud.

Hane and Goofy's faces were contorted with sympathy; the former also had big, watery eyes. "They were so perfect together!" He sniveled. "Why does fate have to be so _cruel?_" Interestingly, the tears brimming his lower lids did not flow over the length of his bottom lashes.

Most everyone but Hikari and Goofy have him an odd look. The blonde kunoichi's glance to him was passive; being emotional was as much a part of her former teammate's hyperactivity now as it was three years ago. "Didn't count on the loon taking a shot like that. Who knew he actually _wanted_ to fight?"

When John's small boat reached the ship and he was barely visible, Pocahontas lowered her hand from her father's and ran for the forest. She headed toward the tall cliff area where she would be able to see the ship until it disappeared far beyond the horizon. Meeko was at her heels and Flit flew close behind.

Hikari was about to follow the woman, but was stopped by Sora calling her name. She looked over her shoulder at him and curled her hands. "What is it?"

"Don't you think we should give her some space? I think she ran off because she wants to be alone for a bit. Let's give her a moment."

"But she's one of the nine princesses. If—," she hesitated to say his name, "—Riku finds her, and she's alone, he'll definitely take her back to Maleficent. Just like Alice."

Sora was taken aback. "Riku's here?"

Hikari averted her gaze and narrowed her eyes. She had not meant to let him know of her encounter with Riku yet; she had not been sure if she wanted him to know at all. It had been less than reassuring, much of it a reiteration of what occurred at Monstro: Riku was experimenting with darkness.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Hane wiped the dews from his eyes and spoke up. "Oi. I don't know who this Riku guy is, but Pocahontas is a free spirit that's not easily caught. She knows these forests real well. So what if she doesn't use any weapons! She's gonna give him a run for his munny, especially with Flit and Meeko . . . ."

His voice trailed off as said hummingbird and raccoon sped into the area frantically. Flit circled Hikari multiple times, and then gave similar treatment to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII to gain their attention. Meeko made a beeline for Shikamaru, carrying with him a necklace with rectangular turquoise beads and a white pendant.

"She's gone," Red surmised.

Shikamaru bent down and accepted the necklace the saddened raccoon offered to him. He looked at it with narrow, calculating eyes. "This necklace belonged to Pocahontas's mother. Her father gave it to her when she was engaged, and she's been wearing it since. She wouldn't part with it easily." He looked off into the trees and muttered, "What a drag. . . ."

Hikari ignored the buzzing of Flit's wings by her ear. "Riku _was_ here."

* * *

Hikari's was the face peeking from the green circle, and Flit continued to hover near it. Her lips moved, and the light in her eyes dimmed; almost like an eclipse. Then, as if the circle in the center of the table were a television, events began to show in reverse, rewinding as far back as the previous day.

The glow of the circle cast a green tint on Pain's pallid visage. He regarded the moving picture with an absolute lack of emotion; therefore, his thoughts were unreadable to outside persons.

The image stopped directly before Hikari and Riku reunited. She was looking around; trying to discern the cause of the premature disappearance of Heartless she had been ready to fight. She saw Riku, and froze; the sole movement coming from her was stiff, incredulous lip movement. Then, a broad grin lit up her face, and the image was paused.

There was no evident reaction in Pain's passive stare.

Thousands of small sheets of paper, folded to appear almost like butterfly origami, entered the room through the available entrances, most of which were shrouded in darkness. They began to unfold and gather into the form of a woman on the opposite side of the table. Shortly, an Akatsuki robe and then physical features were discernible.

Beneath ultramarine eye shadow, her amber eyes appeared almost as emotionally deadened as her partner's. Her lower lashes were notably longer than the upper. A silver sphere labret piercing was under a neutral mouth, and she wore a light blue paper flower in her hair of a darker shade. That hair was short, only disappearing behind the wide collar of the coat at times. Unlike her male allies, she wore a pair of tight blue pants underneath, which also extended to white high-heeled shoes. The Akatsuki ring on right, orange-polished middle finger, read in kanji, "white."

Konan gave the projection on the table a passive glance and then addressed the man. "Pain."

The Akatsuki leader met her eyes.

"He's returned. He brought another princess. Hidan and Kakuzu captured their jinchuuriki, as well." She looked with him back at the image, which played again. "That leaves two princesses, and two jinchuuriki to locate."

After a momentary pause, Riku arrived, drawing both Pain and Konan to turn their heads slightly and look at him out of the corners of their eyes. He was scowling, and did not pay them any mind. He walked toward the unoccupied portion of the table's circumference, and gave the circle inside a bored glance.

The image had been continued, and he and Hikari were in each other's arms. Watching himself kissing the girl whose last piece of heart still glimmered in his chest cavity instigated a fierce suffusion from the boy. ". . . !" He ran closer to the table, as if to have a better look.

He turned his head, glowered at Pain, and threw his arm to his side in an aggressive gesture, clenching his fists. "Tell me why you have that!"

The Akatsuki leader ignored his demand and regarded the image. "This was the other girl you've been searching so tirelessly for, correct? You shouldn't have driven her away. The next time you encounter her, bring her here."

There was distrust in Riku's eyes; he did not relax in the slightest. "Well . . . although your concern for what happens between me and her is touching, do me a favor—_don't._ You and Maleficent, pretending to care about us—I'm not buying it."

Those Rinnegan eyes returned to him, and while Pain's expression did not change, something about them appeared more intense. "This isn't a suggestion. It's an order, and it has nothing to do with your love life. If want you to _capture_ her. Hikari Uzumaki will be more useful to me here than with the Keybearer."

He recoiled and stood straighter; his expression was more inquisitive. "How is she going to be useful to you? What do you want to do with her!" His voice was raised.

The image jumped forward to Hikari and Riku's fight. His accusations, her pall, and his escape were repeated for his viewing. He also saw her call his name multiple times, prior to her kicking the water in frustration and falling on her bottom. As the kunoichi sat there, Pain asked, "Do you still care about her?"

The silver-haired teen clicked his tongue and balled his fists.

"Are we going to have a problem?"

He grit his teeth, glanced at the Akatsuki leader, about-faced, and ran out of the room without answering. Konan watched him leave out of the corner of her eye; then she regarded her partner once more.

"Pain . . . Hidan and Kakuzu are still on that world, and they were already told that the girl must be detained alive. Why did you tell the boy to capture her next time he encountered her?"

"I was testing his faith. Maleficent's goal never coincided with mine, but now—she has definitely become obsolete in my plans. But her puppet could still be of use to me, especially if our numbers thin passed Sasori. . . ."

The image in the green circle changed once more. In an area of Chesapeake Forests, Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Red XIII, Shikamaru, and Hane approached Grandmother Willow.

* * *

_Hiki—I used to have a crush on her. She was one of the few blondes in our class, and even though she was in love with Sasuke—a guy's gotta hope, right? (Not that I hate any other hair colors, but there's something about the color yellow that just says, "Hey, I'm here! Stare at me!")_

_But let me get this straight: I did NOT stare at her . . . much. I mean at the Academy it was kinda hard—she sat behind me. She would've thought I was a weirdo if I kept looking back at her! And I DEFENITELY was no stalker._

_Oh, I was soooo excited when I found out we were on the same team. It was even better that my best bud was right there with me! He saved me from looking like a total fool in front of her so many times—like when Iruka-sensei announced our teams! I almost yelled, I was so happy; but Kaizoku pulled my scarf and choked me before I could!_

_Aaya-sensei is pretty, too. She was like, twenty-seven when she started teaching us, so more than twice our age—but still! I remember our team's first meeting like it was yesterday. . . ._

_We were all sittin' in one of the classrooms at the Academy. Aaya-sensei leaned against the front wall with a folder in her hands. She took one hand to brush her bangs from her eye; she had her part so far to her left the weight of her hair would often fall out from behind her ear to cover one of her violet eyes. She had her legs crossed, resting most of her weight on the heel of her boot._

"_So. Hane, Kaizoku, and Hikari." She continued to skim the file. "Looks like none of you were really A-plus students. Hane, your endurance scores in particular are remarkably dismal, and Kaizoku—looks like you didn't take much seriously. Nothing really noteworthy on you, Hikari." She looked up at us. "There doesn't seem to be any reason these guys strung you all together."_

_Kaizoku raised his hand after adjusting his forehead protector, which was part of his bandana. "It's so we could be Team Blonde! See? I'm blonde, he's blonde, she's blonde—and they even paired us with Blonde-sensei!"_

"_OMG, that's awesome!" I exclaimed. I jumped up from the seat and hunkered on the desk. "It's totally official—we're Team Blonde! We should have a theme song! Yeah? Yeah?" I twisted and kneeled in front of Hiki. "What do you think, Hiki?"_

_She just kinda stared at me with wide eyes. The look she had when she was stumped or surprised was one of her cutest faces. "Uh—"_

_Sensei wasn't really amused. She kinda has a temper. Nobody can work her up like Kakashi-sensei though! At this time, though, she just kinda spoke sternly. "That's Aaya-sensei to you, and this is Team Two._

"_Anyway, while we're at this, we should probably learn a bit about each other. Just your name and a fact or two about yourself. I'll start. Like I said, you guys can call me 'Aaya-sensei.' I love romance novels, but I hate Make-Out Paradise, or any of the related series. My dream for the future—to grow old with my husband, once I find the lucky guy." She pointed at Kaizoku. "Now you."_

_He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back. "Kaizoku, at your service! But don't take the 'service' part to heart, OK? I like fun. I hate being serious—cramps your style, y'know? Dreams are kinda too serious for me, so—ah! Wait! I think I got one: I wanna ride a dolphin one day."_

_Aaya's brow twisted. "A dolphin?"_

_Kaizoku grinned._

_She sighed. "Okay. . . . Next."_

_Hiki blushed a little—hehe, it made me blush, too! "My name's Hikari. A lot of people call me 'Hiki,' but I don't really care for it all that much. Um. . . . I like animals. My dream. . . ." Her blush became deeper, but she still looked at Aaya-sensei. "I—haven't given it much thought."_

_Aaya-sensei's lip curled. I think she thought that Hiki might've been lying about that last part, but she let it go anyway. She looked at me instead. "Alright, you're last. And get off the top of the desk already."_

_I grinned broadly and jumped down. I was really worked up, especially since I was so happy with our team choice, so I started rambling! "The name's Hane! I like a lot of things! I don't really dislike many things though. . . . I really wanna work on my chakra molding though! My jutsu kinda uses a lot. See, my family cultivates those chakra trees—the ones they make the paper from that recognizes your chakra nature—but we also mutate 'em! We carry seeds, and so when our chakra interacts with them, we can grow the plants—instantly! Cool, huh? And I can make 'em do basically whatever I want—my dad's really good at making the flowers shoot lightning—"_

_Kaizoku reached over, took my scarf, and yanked it; since it tightened around my throat, the next sound out of my mouth was like a choke. "Hey, buddy. You're sayin' too much again. You're not supposed to tell everyone how your jutsu works! That stuff you're supposed to keep your mouth shut about!"_

_I smiled sheepishly as I tugged the scarf._

_Hey, wait a sec—I'm staying in my head too long. Why am I thinking about this? This guy's gonna think I'm retarded! Uh . . . what was the question again? . . . Oh yeah!_

Hane turned his head to his side, where Sora was walking and regarding him expectantly—as well as with confusion. The blonde scratched the back of his head. "Yep! Those flowers that paralyzed you and all the guys—those were mine! Back home, my family grew chakra trees. You make paper from 'em that can tell what your chakra nature is. But! We also tweaked some of them. They bloomed flowers, we took the seeds. We carry the seeds, and so when our chakra interacts with them, we can grow plants—instantly! Cool, huh?"

Sora blinked; Hane has spoken rather quickly. "Uh—"

"Well, the cool part I guess is that you can do pretty much anything with 'em! The closest thing to this type of jutsu is Wood Release, and for that, you have to use Water and Earth—at the same time! Only the First Hokage was able to do that!"

"Oh—?"

"Yep yep yep! Hey, we're here!" The orange-eyed boy left the brunette's side and ran ahead of everyone else. He hopped from the shore onto one of the roots stretching from the tree in the center of the lake. Most of the others followed on the roots; Hikari and Shikamaru simply walked across the water.

"Granny Willow! Granny Willow! Granny Willow!" He reached the stump before the trunk and circled his hands around his mouth. "Oi, Granny, wake u—!"

One of the many vines hanging from the old willow's branches sprang to life and curled around his neck and mouth, thus silencing him. While he tried to pull the vine off, which thankfully did not constrict his airways, Grandmother Willow's countenance came to be on the face of the trunk. She appeared rather annoyed.

"Pipe down, sonny!" she barked. "Sometimes I think you're no better than when you arrived here. You're a very hyperactive boy, and that joy is good for the spirit—but not if you burn through all your energy too quickly!"

Hikari and Red XIII's eyes widened; the blonde thought aloud. "The tree—it _talks?_" _Like the Door Knob from Wonderland. We're starting to follow a pattern here. . . ._

Grandmother Willow looked over at the girl, who stood with Shikamaru on a lower stump to the side. "Oh, Shikamaru, you're here too. And you've brought friends." She noticed Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "You boys were running from that tiny dog yesterday."

The ninja and Red looked at the trio; they all blushed and averted their eyes. The brunette then looked at Grandmother Willow. "Yes ma'am. My name is Sora. This is Donald and Goofy, Hiki, and Red XIII. Grandmother Willow . . . my friends and me are here to seal the Keyhole. Do you know where it is?"

She shifted her face toward him. He was standing more directly in front of her than Hane. "Young man. . . ." She took one of her vines and touched under his chin, lifting it so she could see into his eyes. "You are the wielder of the Keyblade?"

He nodded. "And we're gonna find Pocahontas, too."

"So she was taken. . . . I felt the world grow darker, just a little." The vine left Sora's chin. "For the Key to have presented itself to you, you must be a special boy, and one of great integrity. I trust you will find her. I will present the Keyhole to you, then."

Grandmother Willow smiled as the wind disturbed her vines; she released Hane in the process. The bark morphed again so her face was smoothed away. Drawn in gold, the outline of a Keyhole began to form, and light filled the shade of the canopy. As colorful leaves danced around him and the tip of the Key, he pointed at the Keyhole until a beam of light connected the two. There was a click.

All that the wind disturbed was settled, and Sora lowered his Key.

* * *

The group passed through the area where Hikari had encountered Riku the previous day. With the Keyhole sealed, Pocahontas's kidnapping, and resolved racial conflict, there was no apparent reason for remaining in Chesapeake Forests; subsequently, they were heading toward the Gummi.

Hikari, who was bringing up the rear of the group, hopped onto one of the slabs of rock in the middle of the river and lingered for a moment. She stood near where she was when Riku had revealed himself to her, and she looked at the top of the short waterfall. Her sorrowful expression was fleeting; almost immediately she turned her head and looked down to her side, at the water flowing passed her.

The sound of her name broke her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Shikamaru on the other side of the river; he was partly turned toward her and had his hands in his pockets. "You're gonna be left behind."

"Mm." She nodded, glanced at the waterfall one more time, and finished crossing the water. She caught up to Shikamaru after a few steps, and walked practically in-line with him. There was only a fleeting silence. "Haven't seen any sign of the Akatsuki. If they got Yuugito, and Riku took Pocahontas, I don't see any reason for them to stay."

The Nara frowned. "I know that. That's why it's such a drag you guys don't have room for more. I still intend to get Yuugito back, or at least make those guys pay. She was a comrade. She's been a good friend these passed years."

The kunoichi regarded his profile thoughtfully. Under the shade of the forest's canopy, his brow was taut with sincerity. His small, almond-colored eyes were filled with resolve. He held his chin higher than when he made his typical "what a drag" or "how troublesome" statements.

She held her arm behind her back and looked forward. Knowing what she knew now, and being able to look at the past with a new perspective, there were certain conclusions she could draw about her childhood; namely, that a bulk of what she believed previously was false.

Among those beliefs disproven was that Shikamaru was a lazy boy who simply did not care—seemingly about anything. While it was verity that he was a lazy genius, and often slept through lectures, he was not indifferent. He was very kind, and had a deep sense of camaraderie; this was evident even if the sole connection he had with another was that he or she was a fellow Konoha ninja.

Despite his belief that women were troublesome, it had been he that began playing with Hikari first, when they were kids, and it had been he that invited her to play hooky the first time he, Kiba, Chouji, and Naruto decided to do so.

"You know, everyone thinks you're lazy . . . but you're probably the most mature of us. Seems like you always had a sense of community and loyalty." She turned her head and met his gaze; he was minutely surprised. "If we find those Akatsuki while we're away . . . we'll drag them back here so you can have a piece of them."

"_Yaaargh!"_

A pained cry—soon followed by the sound of something heavy coming down—tore through the forest not far ahead of where they walked, sounding much like it originated from Hane. Hikari and Shikamaru bolted in the direction they had been heading, certain they were not far from the rest of the party.

A short distance ahead, they came to a clearing in the forest—but not one that was naturally made. Nearly a perfect square, trees had been cut down by the visiting explorers to clear space for their encampment. Most of the trees had been constructed into a very tall fence that had encircled the whole camp.

One side of the fence had fallen completely. The dust that had risen from its meeting the dirt was still up in the air, masking what hid in its obscurity. Hikari and Shikamaru joined the rest of the gang; they were all alert and had their weapons drawn, the only exception being Hane. He was holding his upper arm, where some blood was running down. A three-bladed scythe was planted in the ground before him, and was connected to a cable that disappeared in the looming dust.

"What happened?" Hikari formed a seal and touched one of the gems on her wrist; colored straw-yellow and decorated with a purple diamond, it had been given to her by Shikamaru when he noticed the ones on her wrist like it. The heart within the stone was Tsunade's, so it lent her medical ninjutsu. As a green glow manifested around her hands, she pushed Hane's aside and started healing his wound.

Donald answered. "It just came out of nowhere!"

Something tugged on that cable and the scythe was pulled out of the ground, only to withdraw. As the dirt began to disappear, the shadows of two figures became evident. The scythe was connected to one of them.

The dust cleared to reveal men of interest: Hidan and Kakuzu.

Hidan, who held the scythe to his side in one hand and a retractable iron spear in the other, stood in a circle identical to the symbol around his neck. His skin was as black as ink with white lines closely resembling some skeleton-like war paint. He wore a broad grin.

"Kakuzu, don't interfere. Let me have some fun with these non-believers."

The other Akatsuki member did not express any emotion in particular; notwithstanding a mask hid the lower half of his face. "Do it quickly. Time is money."

He laughed. "By letting the jinchuuriki live, I broke one of the most sacred commandments. Jashin doesn't permit anything less than utter carnage—you boys will have to make up for that!"

**End of Chapter Thirty-three**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-four: A Shinobi's Skill Set

"But before you begin . . . ," started Kakuzu; and then the next moment his disappeared from his partner's flank. Moving so quickly he had been practically invisible, his figure manifested behind Hikari. Scooping her up just after she finished healing Hane's wound, he said, "I will remove our intended target."

"Intended target—!" was all Hikari managed to utter, before she and he disappeared. Everyone had moved to stop him, but he was too quick. Only the sound of his expedited movement and Hikari's objections suggested the direction he went. Red XIII immediately dashed in that direction.

* * *

Merry Christmas, my readers! I'm sorry this has been taking so long :( I've been transferring my content over to a new site called Wattpad at the behest of my best friend and beta-reader Ace-of-Hearts (worry not, though, for I still will be posting here :D) It takes forever to make all of the book covers and reformat certain things, though. . . . I'm still not done doing all that jazz DX

Anyway, I'm still not done with the next chapter, but in the spirit of Christmas, I am posting anyway! (. It just means it'll take a chapter and a half before I post again… hehe ^^') I'm sorry that it's not more exciting.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays, if I cared to be politically correct!) and please, leave a review :)**


	34. A Shinobi's Skill Set

Recappy From the Last Chappy: The dust cleared to reveal men of interest: Hidan and Kakuzu.

Hidan, who held the scythe to his side in one hand and a retractable iron spear in the other, stood in a circle identical to the symbol around his neck. His skin was as black as ink with white lines closely resembling some skeleton-like war paint. He wore a broad grin.

"Kakuzu, don't interfere. Let me have some fun with these non-believers."

The other Akatsuki member did not express any emotion in particular; notwithstanding a mask hid the lower half of his face. "Do it quickly. Time is money."

He laughed. "By letting the jinchuuriki live, I broke one of the most sacred commandments. Jashin doesn't permit anything less than utter carnage—you boys will have to make up for that!"

Chapter Thirty-four: A Shinobi's Skill Set

Observation is likely one of the most vitals tools in a shinobi's skill set. Note the enemy's actions, words, movement, and personality, and analyze every one. If one understands what makes the opponent tick, particularly how they conduct themselves in battle, then counter measures can be adequately devised.

Shikamaru had a natural talent for this, cultivated further by playing strategic games like Shogi with his sensei, Asuma Sarutobi. He never lost a game. In battle, he did not lose a match so much as he would tactfully forfeit, knowing his limits. During part three of the Chuunin Exams, this very action graduated him to chuunin rank. Instead of tiring himself to the point where he could not move in order to win, he allowed himself the energy to function.

Although he had only witnessed a few moments of the Akatsuki pair's abilities, and even fewer flashes of their behavior, he had more than adequate the amount of time to decipher their incredible jutsu.

Hidan's apparent immortality would be the greatest hurdle. He could be stabbed through the heart and survive. No amount of blood loss was too great and few, if any, types of injuries would slow him down. Their only option was to incapacitate him somehow.

Another point of concern was his jutsu, something he called a "ritual." The use of terminology, such as "ritual," "blasphemy," and "non-believer" implied he was a devout man. The religion of "Jashin" was referenced often, and evidently dark; namely, for one of its commandments to demand utter carnage.

The circle on which he stood was identical to the pendant around his neck. Assuming he wore it because it was to his religion what the cross is to Christianity, the circle was vital to the ritual. He had to be within the circumference for it to commence. This was part one.

Part two was hard to fathom. When Shikamaru witnessed the ritual with Yuugito, he had noticed the discoloration of Hidan's skin had occurred after he ingested some of her blood. He deduced this was the purpose of his scythe: to gather blood. Else wise, the three-bladed design was largely impractical, and there were much simpler ways to kill someone.

Ingesting the blood created a connection between the victim and the user; subsequently, any injury Hidan sustained, so long as he stood in that circle, would harm the victim as well. The victim, however, did not have the advantage of immortality.

As for Kakuzu, Shikamaru had yet to see any of his skills. Should he join the battle, the odds of their defeat would increase exponentially.

However, he had not spent all this time strategizing for nothing.

"But before you begin . . . ," started Kakuzu; and then the next moment he disappeared from his partner's flank. Moving so quickly he had been practically invisible, his figure manifested behind Hikari. Scooping her up just after she finished healing Hane's wound, he said, "I will remove our intended target."

"Intended target—!" was all Hikari managed to utter, before she and he disappeared. Everyone had moved to stop him, but he was too quick. Only the sound of his expedited movement and Hikari's objections suggested the direction he went. Red XIII immediately dashed in that direction.

"Goofy! Hane! Follow them!" Shikamaru directed.

With a nod, Goofy acknowledged, turned, and ran through the disturbed shrubbery. Hane rotated his arm, "—Aye-aye, cap'n—," and turned on his heel to follow, but a stabbing pain in his thigh made his knees buckle under him. Under his palms, crimson fluid stained his pants red. There was a wound, but no weapon close by that could have caused it.

Hane's moaning was drowned out by Hidan's obnoxious, sadistic laughter. His eyes were bloodshot, but most of the lines on his face were from an unconstrained grin. The spear held in his hand deeply pierced his leg, yet he was not in agony; he experienced absolute pleasure in the pain, at Hane's expense.

"Where do you think you're goin', Goldilocks?" He twisted his spear, further digging into the meat and soliciting more pain. Tears began to pour from Hane's eyes as he collapsed, but the immortal man seemed only to find more joy.

Appalled by the man's behavior, Sora and Donald were frozen, and a little nervous. Their temples were dampened with sweat. The brunette had seen in Sasori that Akatsuki members could be a little touched in the head, Sasori having turned himself into a human puppet and claiming to have plans of a similar fate for Sora, but even he had stifled maniacal tendencies during the advent of the fight. This guy was showing it right off the bat.

"You've already been cursed," Hidan continued as he pulled the spear from the wound. He did not even flinch. "I slice your arm, and it's too little. I prick your leg—is it too hot for you?" He pointed the spear at his chest. "How about if I stab your heart? It'll be just right—the end of it all for you, and the transcendent pain that becomes the _purest ecstasy_ for me."

_No!_ Shikamaru performed the necessary hand signs for the Shadow Possession Jutsu and manipulated the shape of his shadow so it made a beeline to connect with Hidan, just as the man started to narrow the distance between the point of his weapon and his chest. The tip barely touched his skin when he was paralyzed.

Hidan frowned. "What the hell kind of crap is this!"

On his knees and still holding the wound on his leg, Hane's mouth curled to a one-sided grin; the other side had gritting teeth from the pain as sweat shone on his face. "Ha! Let's see you try to work your creepy voodoo magic now! Bet you can't even . . . wiggle your toes!"

Sora adjusted his grip on the Keyblade and asked Shikamaru, "How long can you hold him?"

The Nara hesitated before answering. With weaker opponents, he could hold them seemingly forever, even after abandoning his Rat hand sign. He could make them mirror everything he did, from procuring a kunai or shuriken to making antlers on the sides of their heads. Stronger opponents required much deeper concentration.

"What? You think this can hold me?"

It just so happened that Hidan could wiggle his toes a little, without direction from Shikamaru. He was fighting against the possession, though he fortunately could not find the mobility to pierce his chest. Warming up from exhausted effort, some sweat ran down Shikamaru's temple as he implemented a stronger version of the shadow jutsu his clan practiced; it produced limb-like shadows that restrained him, even made the arm holding the spear pull back.

"I'll hold him for as long as I can," remarked the chuunin.

Donald raised his staff. "I'll hit him with Thundaga! With a direct hit, it'll solve everything!"

"No!" he responded with alarm. He slowly slid his foot a few inches back, followed by another. Taking baby steps, he sidled so Hidan would slowly, but surely, exit the circle. "Don't do anything until I get him out of the circle, or else you'll just kill Hane.

"And then—we can decapitate him."

"I like that plan!" The orange-eyed blonde grinned nervously. " I really don't want to die. . . ."

One foot left the circle completely, which was not pleasing Hidan at all. He glared at Shikamaru and was not shy about expressing his anger. The outburst actually distracted him from fighting the possession, thus making it simpler for his captor to perform his jutsu. "Hey! You with the pineapple-shaped head! Stop that! You brat!"

The last toe slid out from the symbol and the devout man's skin faded to its original color, a sign that the curse had ended—temporarily. Straining, for his control was waning, Shikamaru used more shadow strands; these pierced his skin and hooked into him, thus drawing blood and inflicting pain.

He did not seem happy about someone else causing him discomfort. "Ow! That friggin' hurts!"

Donald raised his staff. "Quake!"

The ground around the circle and Hidan began to shake violently, creating cracks through the ground that interrupted the ritualistic artwork. The epicenter likely directly below the symbol, the cracks radiated from the center, and all of the dirt crumbled and even turned over the substance used to make it—the evidence that it was ever there was deteriorating.

Cracks also cut across Shikamaru's shadow jutsu, but did not break the hold he had on him. If anything, the small shadows created by the uneven earth and cracks added to them, and would have helped him hold the man; but, the quaking was distracting, and Shikamaru was at his limit for that turn. The shadow returned to him.

"You ended the jutsu!" Sora accused; Donald quickly apologized and discontinued the spell. Within moments, Hidan picked up his scythe and charged at Sora, who lifted his Keyblade barely in time to defend himself when the three-bladed weapon was wildly swung.

The brunette and the light-haired immortal exchanged blows, the latter wielding his weapon with impressive dexterity despite its awkward size and impractical design. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! What a bunch of meatheads!" _That shadow of his. . . . I'll have to watch out for that one._

_Damn!_ Shikamaru performed the Rat seal once more, and his shadow chased Hidan, who chose to be very light on his feet. He easily dodged the Shadow Sewing Jutsu, a technique that turned Shikamaru's shadow into something like a squirming tree whose multiple branches pursued their adversary. He did not seem greatly distracted by fighting Sora.

When he came near Shikamaru, he switched targets abruptly. Jumping above the chuunin, he swung the scythe widely. Shikamaru ceased his jutsu and escaped just in time, dragging Hane with him. Donald waddled out of the way and casted a powerful Firaga spell right where the Akatsuki member landed. He was consumed in flame.

"Wak! We got him!"

"All right!"

The group exchanged glances and tentative smiles, but returned their gazes to the fire. The tension built in their stomachs as they heard the man's cries of pain, and they were hopeful when he seemed to quiet. The spell and smoke began to clear, and a figure became evident—but he was standing. Worse yet, he was not maimed or burned at all; simply pissed.

"Hey! Cool it with the fire! That hurt, you know! Who the hell do you think you are?" He held the scythe at his side. "I'm cursing you all in the name of Jashin! He'll punish every one of you!"

The boys stared in amazement. _He should be burned to a crisp. . . ._

* * *

Hikari squirmed in the Akatsuki member's arm, but it did not appear to be doing her much good. Her limbs were restricted by relatively thin yet strong cables produced by Kakuzu in a similar fashion to Hikari's Hidden Snake Hands technique, though due to his sleeves, she was not able to tell quite where they originated.

Her thighs were tied together and her wrists were tied close to her chest. The binding and capture had all happened so quickly, she had not fully registered what had occurred. She had been caught completely off-guard; few people kidnap someone before the fighting has even begun. The grip this man had on her, too, was very firm for only having one arm around her waist.

_It's too bad I can't bite through the coat,_ she thought while struggling; she was beginning to tire. She turned her head and realized she probably would not have been able to reach anyway. Her position was too awkward.

She stopped moving the lower half of her body and began focusing on her top half. She tried moving her wrists, which were crossed, so she could make a hand sign; her bonds were very tight, and almost impossible to move in. To try loosening them, she brought the cables up to her teeth and pulled, creating just enough space to twist and shift.

She managed to get her palms together and curled the proper fingers. _Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!_

Four snakes sprang forth from the portion of her arm which was unrestricted and attacked Kakuzu. Immediately the cables loosened around her and released as he pushed her away, cursing. The cables disappeared in his sleeve and he raised his arm in defense as the reptiles continued their attack.

When he repelled her from him, Hikari twisted herself so she could keep the arm with the snakes as close as possible. She was reaching toward him, had one hand planted awkwardly on the ground in front of her, and both legs spread; she almost looked like she was performing some form of a spread-eagled, one-arm push-up.

She lifted her head, thinking she would see all of her snakes biting into the Akatsuki member's face or torso, but instead saw recoiling reptiles with fragmented fangs or toothless gums. ". . . !" She reeled them in, as they were currently useless, and stood.

Before she could put herself in a steady, defensive stance, Kakuzu swiftly closed the distance between them and connected his fist with her gut.

The fist might as well have belonged to Tsunade or Sakura, or been a battering ram. The air she sharply sucked in was knocked out before she had a chance to exhale, and she flew back until her posterior collided with a tree; it splintered around her. Coughing, gasping, vying for breath, she slid to the ground and tried to keep at least one eye open and on her opponent.

She had one arm across her aching belly and the other reaching above her on the tree, trying to grip the bark and lift herself. The wood was too smooth and her strength too diminished with no oxygen to maintain a grip. She watched him approach; he appeared irritated.

Finally, the wires in her brain uncrossed, her lungs and diaphragm unfroze, and she successfully inhaled deeply. It was the sweetest breath of her life, rivaled only by the first breath one takes after staying underwater for too long. She tried gathering her bearings and stood, but was not straight until Kakuzu's hand was around her neck and he lifted her a little.

Hikari tried prying the hand from her airway; she was struggling a little once more as it restricted her breath but did not totally obstruct it. She opened one of her eyes and saw that Kakuzu himself stood easily a distance of ten feet away; a mass of cables separated his forearm from his elbow and upper arm. There were holes for stitches at the end of the part nearest her.

Curiously, near his upper arm, there appeared to be something beating inside the cables, a separate pulse.

She took in a few slow breaths and looked up at her adversary; she met his eyes. "Wh . . . what are you . . . trying to pull? Separating me, from everyone else. . . . Are you trying to . . . kill me? Or capture me?" The corner of her mouth curled up. "But then, what would . . . the Akatsuki want with little ol' me? You already have . . . my brother."

"Who is your brother?"

She gave him a questioning look. "Naruto . . . Uzumaki. . . . The Nine-tails jinchuuriki."

He stared at her as he thought. "Hmm. . . . 'Naruto Uzumaki' doesn't ring a bell. I only remember the names of shinobi who've amassed a large bounty, or opponents I've defeated who were worth a lot of money. The Nine-tails wasn't my jinchuuriki. Most of them I forget, once they've been captured.

"Nevertheless, your relationship to the Nine-tails is inconsequential, especially since he is already in our hands. Our leader believes a little girl like you will be useful to us, somehow. His orders were to capture you, alive." His grip tightened around her neck. "But if you make me angry. . . ."

She shut her eyes and gasped, feeling more pain than breathlessness, when a flash of green seemed to charge and ram into the Akatsuki member's side with great force. Kakuzu lost his grip and reeled in the limb, simultaneously re-stitching.

Hikari realized the flash of green was Goofy, who was sliding across the forest floor atop his shield like it was a snowboard. He was waving his arms wildly, but did not appear completely out of control. She did not know if his movement was purposeful or accidental.

Kakuzu recovered quickly and lunged at the knight, pulling back his fist for another mighty physical attack. However, a crimson-colored clock appeared over Goofy, and a circle of similar color appeared below his feet; the hands of it began to hasten in a clockwise motion, and then disappeared.

Goofy's antics were expedited before the blow could land, resulting in a narrow miss and the production of dust when Kakuzu's fist uprooted trees. Now that he was going much faster, the knight lost what little control he had, and he began yelling much louder.

Red XIII padded next to Hikari. "Are you hurt?"

The blonde touched her throat, cleared it, and swallowed; it felt a little sore, like she had a cold. "I'm fine. I can take a hit." She looked at Kakuzu. "And I think if you focus on him, he won't disappear—he's very fast, and strong. He can also extend his arms, possibly other parts of him, too. That's all I know right now."

Goofy finally crashed into one of the many trees; he sat on his shield and saw many stars among the dust. In his stupor, his actions did not appear to be the least bit hastened, so it appeared the effects of Red XIII's spell had worn off.

With that minor distraction out of the way, Kakuzu offered full cognizance to Hikari and her four-legged companion. He appeared rather annoyed as he raised both arms in front of him (similar to the mummies in old, cheesy horror films.) "Enough of this nonsense."

Both fists sprang forth from to attack them both, but they evaded just in time. In so quick a succession Hikari could not tell if he even reeled his arms back in, he repeated the assault over and over. Splintered wood, leaves, and dust flied into the air, and some trees fell.

Hikari ran up the side of one of the trees in order to dodge a fist that hit the dirt and twisted promptly whilst performing a few hand signs. She brought her hand up to her mouth, inhaled, and breathed four small fireballs. _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

Kakuzu avoided the fiery blooms fluidly. He also ducked when Goofy, having recovered from his collision, threw his shield like a Frisbee; the disc flew over his head, hovered, and somehow returned to its owner. Then Red XIII pounced at him from behind, snarling with his teeth ready to chomp, but the Akatsuki ninja reached behind him and knocked the quadraped out of the way, eliciting a yelp.

"You're wasting my time," he remarked. _"Time is money."_

Hikari threw a trio of kunai to create distance between Red XIII and Kakuzu, allowing the former time to recover. She bit her lip, trying to think of her next move; she did not want to see more of his. His strength and speed were incredible assets, and as part of the Akatsuki, he surely was more than his ragdoll physiognomy, certainly had more up his sleeve than those cords.

Then, Red XIII linked two of his spells. First, he casted Slow, which manifested similarly to Haste; the most notable difference, initially, was color. The field under Kakuzu's feet and the clock that appeared over his head were blue. The hands on the clock turned slow, almost appearing to move counterclockwise.

As the name of the spell suggested, the actions of the afflicted were made sluggish. As if he were encased in a substance with very high viscosity, like syrup, he moved like he met resistance greater than air; since he was so speedy to begin with, however, he was not quite stationary.

Secondly, and almost immediately, he casted Comet. The clips on his headdress glowed brightly, and a swirly, cosmic-looking portal opened in front of his nose. Small, burning projectiles—like tiny meteors—were fired from the center one after the other at staggered timing. The stream turned with him when he tried dodging.

The initial few missed, but the rest caught up with him. As he tried to move his feet, however, he also brought his hands together. While so quick it avoided scrutiny under normal circumstances, the decelerated status ailment made the formation visible long enough for Hikari to see what it was.

Several projectiles of Red XIII's spell made contact, but after the hand sign was made, damage was minimal—if plain at all. He was knocked back a few feet and into a tree—which nearly fell over—but appeared no worse for the wear.

_That was a direct hit,_ thought the blonde. She slid down the side of the tree to the ground and tried piecing a few things together; she was not the tactician Shikamaru was, and her IQ was definitely not as high, but she was not stupid either.

The sign he made before he was hit was the sign of the Snake—"Oro." One's palms touched as if in prayer; yet all one's fingers were interlaced—like one was begging. _The Snake means that whatever technique he used—it's Earth Style. Like Gaara's Sand Armor—the technique hardens the body, making most of our attacks—physical, magical, or jutsu—weaker. Sometimes useless._

_But. . . ._ "Goofy. Red XIII." She carefully started to remove one of her shuriken earrings. They were forged from a special chakra-conducting metal; they were used chiefly by wind-natured chakra users, as they could use their chakra to bolster the cutting power of their blades so they cut through stone.

From her kunai pouch, she fished out a slip of paper appearing very similar to a bomb-tag, except there was the kanji _Rai_—"lightning"—on its face. While Kakuzu was still under the affliction of Slow, she gave directions to Red XIII and Goofy. She knew Goofy's arsenal well; Red XIII's, she knew well enough.

_Lightning is the weakness of Earth Style,_ she recited mentally; she could picture her Academy teacher, "Iruka-sensei," in front of the chalkboard, where he had charted the strength and weaknesses of different chakra natures. _Lightning is weak to Wind, but it doesn't stop it—it _conducts_ it, throws it back at your opponent stronger than ever._ _It's the same reason why static electricity is stronger on windy days._

"Quick. Before the first spell wears off."

Although there were multiple parts, they all passed rather quickly. The effect of Slow was waning as Kakuzu's clock inched toward normal, so Red XIII casted Blind. A ripple of black magic pulsed from him, brushed passed Kakuzu's feet, and then a small cloud of darkness obscured the Akatsuki member's vision. Haste was also cast on Goofy once more.

In quickened motion, said royal knight darted toward his team's adversary with his shield in front. Before an adequate response could be made, he took his shield, knocked Kakuzu's feet out from under him, and pushed him up into the air. He was already forming the Oro hand seal.

The _Rai_ tag was stuck to the topside of the shuriken before Hikari channeled some of her wind-based chakra through the metal. To the most naked of eyes, the extension of the blades by chakra was made plain; Hikari had to hold it out to her side, like a Fuuma shuriken. She spun the star around her finger and threw is straight to the Akatsuki member's heart.

When the star was directly in front of her opponent's chest, she made another hand sign and activated the electric charge of the _Rai_ tag. The shuriken burst with electricity, creating almost a small storm that cut straight through Kakuzu's chest, heart, and back. The darkness of Blind cleared just in time for them to see the genuine shock in his eyes; life seemed to disappear.

They hardly waited for his body to touch the ground. Hikari went to retrieve her shuriken—which had embedded itself into a nearby boulder—and then followed Red XIII and Goofy to check on the others. "That 'Hyde-n' feller is supposed to immoral!" pointed out the knight once concern was voiced.

As she ran behind him, Hikari said, "Try 'immortal,' Goofy. His moral compass doesn't exactly look like it'd be spinning North, though!"

Kakuzu's body hit the grass lying belly down with his face turned sideways. He was still for several moments; blood stained his coat. By all appearances, he had expired.

Then, he blinked. More than blink, he began breathing again. Wrinkles marked his brow in many spots as began to stand. "The kitten's magic was more effective than I expected, and the girl pieced together such an array of teamwork quickly." He tore off his coat, revealing a sleeveless blue shirt that had an opening on his back. Four differently shaped masks were stitched to his body, and one was broken.

The remaining three masks burst from his body into monstrous masses of black cables. Each formed their own independent body—one mask had a yellow mark, another blue, and the third red, while the rest of the face was white. The shapes they took varied, but all were sizable, larger than the average human. Kakuzu's back was stitched back up.

"But she was careless to think I'd be decimated so simply!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was trying to capture Hidan with his shadow once more, intending to incapacitate and interrogate him. Sora aided in his endeavor by occupying him; he continually swung his Keyblade at the man and blocked his scythe every time. It was a tiring and irritating dance.

Hidan was impressively agile, particularly for wielding such a crude weapon, despite a claim that he was slowest in the Akatsuki. Hane's plants covered the ground so well and created so uneven a surface he could not create another circle—had he even the time.

Away from the action, Hane was still wincing from his injured leg and largely immobile because of it. Donald stood in front of him, a guardian for he risked hurting Sora with his spellwork if he fought and, because of Hane's chakra, he could not play the role of the healer; curative magic was largely ineffective on ninja of the Land of Shuriken and Kunai.

Somewhat irritated by this notion, the magician was tapping his webbed foot and had his arms crossed, Particularly taxing on his nerves were the sounds of pain coming from the blonde; every moan and every groan added a deeper shade of crimson to his face. He swiveled and shook his fists; he levitated a few feet when he yelled, "KNOCK IT OFF!"

Hane's brightly colored eyes were large and set under a furrowed brow. "But it _hurts._ I'm in agony!"

"Be in agony quietly!"

Hane groaned pathetically. "But I can't just sit here and do _nothing._ Sora and Shika are havin' all of the fun and it's not even working!"

Donald grunted (as much as a duck could grunt) and watched the ensuing battle; he did not care much for extraneous combat, but he did not like being on the sidelines either.

Hane leaned his elbow on his knee and propped up his chin while the other squeezed his leg; a bandage summoned by Donald was under his palm. He made a pouty face and glanced up, catching a few leaves as they fell from a tree. "Hmm. . . ." The descent was slow, and by the time it flitted in front of his face, he had uncurled his pointer finger, lifting his chin in doing so.

Reluctantly, he released the ailing limb once he gathered some seeds; he cupped and lidded them with his hands. Closing his eyes, he concentrated chakra and those seeds became petals instantaneously. The hand he used to cover, he moved so he formed a basket with both palms. He blew on them and they took to the air. "Donald~! Get in on this!"

Multiplying, the petals all gathered in the air around Hidan, creating another distraction for the immortal. As if their obscurity were not enough, when Hane made a hand sign, they each became razor sharp and began cutting him in various places.

Being one who enjoyed inflicting pain, not feeling it (lest it be at the expense of others) the unnatural human being actually did the natural thing and recoiled. Every small cut increased his annoyance. Luckily, while his recoil was only brief, it was just enough for Shikamaru to latch his shadow onto his. "Jashin damn it to hell!" He dropped his scythe.

The Nara strengthened the binding effect of his shadow, using the dark tendrils to pierce, hook, and stitch into his opponent's skin. The immortal was now immobile; the only visible movement from him were light twitches and trembles from his attempts.

Sweat glistened on his face from the prolonged game of cat-and-mouse. His muscles were palpitating, fatigued as he fought to keep Hidan contained. He glanced at the scythe. "Sora, now!"

The brunette dismissed his Keyblade, picked up the scythe, swung it, and cleanly sliced through the man's neck. Due to the way he swung, he leaned away from the path of blood, letting it splatter onto the ground and not him. It was just as Hane pumped his fist into the air and exclaimed, "Justice!" that Hikari, Goofy, and Red XIII entered the scene.

Hikari watched expressionlessly as the two parts of Hidan collapsed onto the dirt. There was a stillness about his body, but in spite of the severing of his vocal cords, he would not cease cursing the ninja and Sora. His eyes were bloodshot and furious.

Shikamaru released his jutsu and collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. He had his hands on his thighs and his shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths, due to his exhaustion.

At the sound of her name, Hikari's attentiveness was drawn toward her former teammate. The bandage around his leg wound was becoming stained with red on the visible side, just enough for one to notice. "Oi! Hiki! Glad you're here—I need a medic!"

She shook her head and touched Tsunade's gem, mingling chakra subsequent to forming a hand sign. As she started to walk around so she could move in front of him, she noticed all of the flowers covering the forest floor. Some were around her knees when she knelt before him. Gingerly she began unwrapping the bandages. "I like that you've worked on your chakra control, and become more in tune with your spiritual chakra, but—looks like you've gotten a little lazy with dodging."

"I couldn't dodge this one! He had this blood-link thing and when he stabbed himself, he hurt me!"

"Oh, like Shikamaru described." Gently she touched either side of Hane's wound and her hands began to glow green. "I'm not going to lie to you. . . . you've lost a lot of blood. It's a flesh wound, but I think he nicked something in there, which is why you're still bleeding. . . ."

His lips formed an O and he averted his eyes. Then, after a moment of silence, he looked at her. "Hey . . . hey hey hey. . . . So if I die, you know, losing all this blood—," he lifted one of his hands and touched her face, "—I had a crush on you."

She raised an awkward brow but did not push him away immediately since she was occupied.

"I just wanted you to know."

"Um. . . ." It was too weird for her; she leaned and ducked away from his touch. "I heard 'had,' right? So if it's in the past, why are you confessing?" _What's with guys lately? First Cloud kisses me out of the blue, and now this? Though now some of Hane's actions and comments in the past make sense. . . ._

"Because it's my dying declaration! Oh! And when you find Kaizoku, please tell him—I stole his Princess Fuun limited edition, holographic trading card when we were kids. . . ."

There was a brief pause as both were silent; Hane, because he was contemplating his next statement and Hikari because she was a little taken aback; she had forgotten the extent of Hane's foolishness. Then, the orange-eyed blonde asked, "So . . . can I kiss your cheek, or something?"

She raised one eyebrow. "No, Hane." She removed her hands from his leg, revealing a healed-over scar. "Because you're as good as new. You're not going to die." The kunoichi stood and walked toward Shikamaru and Sora as the orange-eyed ninja blinked and checked out his lack of wound.

The Keybearer still held the scythe as he stood over its owner's head; he let the blades sit on the ground because it was so weighty. "Why are you guys kidnapping jinchuuriki and princesses? What have you done to Riku?"

Hidan spat. "Piss off! I don't know anything! I'm fairly new to the Akatsuki. If you wanted information, you've got the wrong guy! Kakuzu's been with them a lot longer. . . ." His eyes scanned and found Hikari as she stood next to Shikamaru; she held her hands behind her back. "Oh, don't tell me that fool went and got himself killed!"

She pointed at her chest with her thumb. "Electrified shuriken through the heart. He didn't give much time for us to question him." She walked closer and crouched. "You already have my brother. . . . You Akatsuki aren't getting me."

"I will have ALL of you for my ritual!"

"There's no way—ah!"

Suddenly, a large black creature barreled through the thicket near them. It was on all fours, had insect wing-like protrusions, and wore a white mask with blue markings around a beak-shaped mouth. "Heartless!" questioned Sora, but it had actually belonged to Kakuzu.

The creature opened its beak and released the condensed form of Wind Style: Pressure Damage. A compacted tornado-like mass touched the ground, compressed until highly dense, and was released. In the form of a large, spiraling dome, the jutsu expanded at a rapid pace and covered a quarter mile radius.

Everyone was picked up off their feet. Every flower, every vine, every blade of grass from Hane's jutsu and tree was destroyed, reduced to shreds, buds, or splinters. Sora landed on his stomach, closest to the center of destruction than the rest. Donald laid on his chest and knees with his tail feathers in the air; Goofy was spread-eagled with his shield just out of his reach; Red XIII was on his side, picking up his head; and Hane was curled into a ball.

Hikari knelt next to Shikamaru and touched him delicately, trying to help him get up. He got as far as a crouch before he had a coughing fit and collapsed, catching his breath. _Shikamaru's at his limit. . . . We won't be able to use his shadow techniques._ She reached into her kunai pouch for one of Sakura's food pills, intending to hand it to her ally, and drifted her gaze toward the assailant. _Fine. I'm sure—_

Her eyes widened and she froze with the billiard ball-sized pill in hand. ". . . ."

Among the falling debris, most of which was green or the color of beautiful blossoms, stood Kakuzu next to the masked beast (plus two more like it.) He also carried Hidan's head by his hair, and had stopped the body from rolling away with his cords, which he reeled in now. The entire party was silent.

Namely, except Hidan. "Ow, ow, _ow!_ Hey, that's my hair, damn it! You could've brought my body to my head, not the other way around! My neck already hurts like a son of a bitch—do you have any idea how much it hurts to have your head cut off? You're late!"

"It's lighter this way," he replied simply; next, he chastised, "You were the one who told me to stay out of it from the start. I really don't think you're in a position to complain."

The immortal clicked his tongue and averted his eyes. ". . . ." He groaned, knowing his situation. "Hehehe, all right, all right, point taken. I'm the one that told you not to butt in, but, uh, I assure you, buddy, it wasn't out of disrespect or anything. Anyway, Kakuzu, would you mind? You are going to stitch me back to my body, right? Come on. . . . Please, old friend? _Pretty please?_"

"Since you asked for my help, I'm giving it to you, whether you want it or not." Kakuzu erected his partner's body and worked to properly align the throat, neck, and bone as he received grumbled thanks; this was followed by more cries of pain as one of Kakuzu's cables pierced the skin and began to stitch the wound. "Just hold still."

Sora looked over his shoulder at Hikari. "I thought you said you defeated him!"

"I _did._ I'm sure my shuriken went through his heart. You can see the hole in his shirt. . . ."

After Hidan's head was reattached, he started cracking and rotating his neck. "Ah, that's better. Finally, in one piece again."

"Don't move it too much, yet, or it'll come right off."

"Yeah, yeah."

The blonde frowned and quietly spoke her thoughts. "I don't understand. . . . It went through his chest, it cut and electrocuted his heart, and came out the other side. He fell to the ground and _stayed down._ For a little bit, at least. Is he immortal, too?"

"I don't think so," said Shikamaru. He was crouching. "Even if he were immortal in the same sense as his partner, he wouldn't have been forced to the ground like that from a blow to the heart like that. This guy complains about pain, but most fatal wounds don't do much to slow him down. It's something else."

She looked down at him. "What are you thinking?" As an afterthought, she handed him the food pill, adding quietly, "They taste bad, but Sakura made them effective."

"These Akatsuki jerks all have impossible abilities and are incredibly skilled. One of them is immortal, the other can stitch up body parts." He paused to ingest the food pill, and almost gagged and nearly spit it out when the taste hit his tongue. Making a face as he chewed, he asked, "Did you see anything strange when you were fighting him?"

"Well. . . ." She closed her eyes and reviewed the fight. "He can detach his body parts. That's why there are stitches everywhere on his body. . . . The only other thing I can think of is, one time, there was a . . . beating inside this tangles mass of web. It looked like it had a separate pulse." She opened her eyes. "You don't think . . . a heart?"

"If he has extra hearts, he can replace them if they stop beating. Extra hearts, extra lives." His brow wrinkled in conjecture. "Those monsters are made of the same cables inside his body. They look like they're being controlled by him, too. They probably contain his extra hearts. That's three, plus the one inside him and the one you killed.

"These Akatsuki. . . . One of them's immortal, and the other one you have to defeat five times before he's dead."

**End of Chapter Thirty-four**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-five: Plan B

"Good eye," Kakuzu complimented. "You actually think, unlike my partner. Each of these hearts belongs to a shinobi I faced in battle and got the better of. They can easily be replaced; with yours, for example." He looked at Shikamaru directly. "Pity. You could've one day amassed a large bounty in the Land of Shuriken and Kunai."

* * *

Hey, guys…. I know it's been over two months since my last update, and I apologize. The chapter to come after this was a challenge, and I won't lie, Final Fantasy XIII-2 side-tracked me greatly (and I do not regret it… AMAZING game!) Anyway, this chapter is one of the longer ones, coming to thirteen pages on Word, so I hope you enjoyed :)

Oh, and it's been brought to my attention that the vocabulary I use in my stories may be a little high, considering most of the people on fan fiction sites are in their teens (I'm only eighteen, so not much older, but nevertheless.) Have any of you had a problem following the story, with the way I word things at times? Please let me know.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	35. Plan B

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "Well. . . ." She closed her eyes and reviewed the fight. "He can detach his body parts. That's why there are stitches everywhere on his body. . . . The only other thing I can think of is, one time, there was a . . . beating inside this tangles mass of web. It looked like it had a separate pulse." She opened her eyes. "You don't think . . . a heart?"

"If he has extra hearts, he can replace them if they stop beating. Extra hearts, extra lives." His brow wrinkled in conjecture. "Those monsters are made of the same cables inside his body. They look like they're being controlled by him, too. They probably contain his extra hearts. That's three, plus the one inside him and the one you killed.

"These Akatsuki. . . . One of them's immortal, and the other one you have to defeat five times before he's dead."

Chapter Thirty-five: Plan B

"Good eye," Kakuzu complimented. "You actually think, unlike my partner. Each of these hearts belongs to a shinobi I faced in battle and got the better of. They can easily be replaced; with yours, for example." He looked at Shikamaru directly. "Pity. You could've one day amassed a large bounty in the Land of Shuriken and Kunai."

"For someone who's already down one heart, you're talking kinda big," Hikari scoffed whilst she performed a plus-sign seal with her hands. "This isn't over. Far from it!" _Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Over a hundred doubles came to be under the cover of smoke, though only about one-fifth were of Hikari. The remaining majority evenly split into copies of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII; Hane and Shikamaru quickly followed suit.

Sora looked around at all of the clones. _She is Naruto's sister. . . ._

The wave of clones rushed the Akatsuki pair, appearing in overwhelming numbers and disguising the true individuals. It was likely they were not even among the copies, having used them as a distraction; either way, the only casualty they had to avoid was Hikari's. She could be broken, bruised, and battered, but as long as she was still breathing, it was mission complete.

Hidan took to senselessly swinging his scythe, feeling something of a sadistic joy in the many ways he could slice them; yet, he complained how they did not spill blood.

One of Kakuzu's monsters, a bipedal creature with an almost Cheshire grin lined with red, let its jaw drop, and a small fireball formed between its teeth. Shortly, it released the fiery sphere. While minuscule upon expulsion, the moment it collided with the ground in front of a clone, it exploded into a gargantuan firestorm.

_Fire Style: Searing Migraine._

With all the swiftness of a flash flood, the fire washed over an area far and wide, thus sweeping away a large amount of clones and destroying them. Bolts of lightning were expelled from the mouth of another bipedal monster in a spear-like form, also taking out clones.

The immortal cleared a space from the copies completely, and there was a very brief stillness around him. He had his feet planted on the ground firmly and was pulling back on the cable of his scythe to reclaim it when four giant flowers budded on the ground behind him.

The buds burst into blossoms, releasing copies of Hane from the confines of their petals. The one closest to him held a kunai that he prepared to slice with as he leapt at the man; the two on the sides threw shuriken that curved around the clone and cut into Hidan's arms.

The Wind beast jumped on the other side of Hidan and performed its jutsu, in absolute disregard for the immortal in its line of fire. Although he had been preparing to swing and cut the clones, they were all blown away by a hemispheric blast of wind; the immortal appeared to be untouched.

Like the last time it was utilized, the jutsu covered a wide area and took out most of the clones. The remnants were further interspersed, so the Lightning beast and its singular, more discriminative attack was adopted more prevalently. The other two used more discretion in choosing their targets, pausing for small clumps to form.

Another Hane attacked Kakuzu's creatures in the field. He carried a large, yellow sunflower, perhaps larger than his head, and wielded it like a hammer; Earth chakra had been channeled through the plant, thus allowing him to harden it, and its size was part mutation, part Hane's will.

He was moving rather deftly, for throwing around the weight of such a heavy blossom, but he still missed; he managed to circumvent the jutsu being fired at him, fortunately, nevertheless. He lowered the bloom and slumped when the creature pulled away, nearly dropping it for its weightiness.

Coming from the rear, Hidan ran toward the blonde boy, holding his scythe in preparation for a full swing. He released an obnoxious, practically maniacal laugh; he assumed this Hane was the real deal, since he was the last of him. "You're mine now, bitch!"

Hane's ears perked and he straightened, turning like someone had simply called his name; he continued to hold his giant flower non-defensively, near his hips. When the scythe pierced his skin and sliced through his arms and waist, his eyebrows were raised and his mouth was ready to say "huh." The flower dropped onto the ground.

He also bled pink flower petals.

The immortal's eyes became saucer-wide as the boy's body and his flower disintegrated into the petals; they danced around him, practically taunting him. "A . . . a _clone!_"

Hikari threw a couple shuriken at the Lightning beast and watched as it evaded. She jumped back a couple feet for good measure, should it lunge after her, and threw a kunai, should it remain stationary; she was not so lucky.

The Lightning beast avoided the kunai. As it moved, it opened its mouth and a bolt was charging inside. Hikari stepped back and raised a defensive arm, biting her lip and hesitating, when Donald jumped in front of her.

Gripping his staff, he inhaled, shut his eyes, and expelled a strong gale of wind.

The wind redirected the current of lightning so it blew back and struck the masked beast; it also knocked it off of his feet. When the duck closed his beak, opened his eyes, and disrupted the spell, he could see that the mask was cracked. The body began to lose form, first looking like a loosely tangled mass of cables before completely liquefying.

He gave a small, satisfied smile. _Two down._

The Zombie Brothers—as they were known by some members of the Akatsuki—regrouped. Hidan and the remaining two masked beasts congregated with Kakuzu near the center of the clearing. All of the clones had been apparently destroyed; seemingly only the originals remained.

Hidan had one hand on his hip and the other holding the handle of his scythe; the end with the blades rested on his shoulder. "That was pitiful. What happened there, buddy?"

"You should talk," Kakuzu spat. The stitches on his back unraveled, and both of the remaining beasts merged into one. While the stitches of his arms loosened, the cables from his back connected to the beast, and he absorbed them. "I'm not the one who fell for a clone."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Haha right. You saw that?"

Shikamaru watched the pair cautiously. _If he could control all of those monsters at once, and more than one could use a jutsu at a time, then when he merges them into one, he can probably combine his jutsu. That fire jutsu is already big by itself, but if it were amplified by that wind jutsu . . . it would be deadly._

He reacted to an oddly shaped shadow behind Hidan, which brought him to look up. Almost directly above the Akatsuki pair, Donald was afloat, evidently parasailing with Hikari's jacket. The sleeves and two corners were gathered to one point and tied to the loop of the kunai by knotted twine; Donald held the kunai by the handle in one hand and his staff in the other, casting Aerora continuously toward the inside of the jacket.

Confused, the chuunin looked at Hikari; she still wore her jacket. Then, he looked at the Donald near him. The duck was looking up at his double.

He noticed Shikamaru looking at him, smiled, and winked; he lifted his finger to his bill in a "shh" manner as well.

_Clever. I though the clones were a distraction for something, and it turns out I was right. The real Donald is sneaking up on them from the sky, where they aren't likely to look since there aren't enough trees around to hide in after that wind blast, and Hikari transformed into Donald, to hide that she didn't have her jacket anymore. She left one clone away from most of the action, to make sure it survived. . . . But what's he going to do?_

The actual Donald was a little apprehensive of getting close to the Zombie Brothers; or perhaps it was the height. He shook his head. _But I'm a duck!_ He ignored the sweat on his brow, and his mortality, as he gently urged the para-jacket into position.

When he came to where he wanted to be, he narrowed his eyes in a bracing expression and ceased Aerora. He continued to hold onto the jacket, but it no longer held enough air to counteract the pull of gravity, and he fell. The flapping of the jacket was surprisingly quiet.

Donald was about two feet above eye level when Kakuzu took notice, but the duck was already pointing his staff. When he yelled "STOP!" the Zombie Brothers were frozen in place with small green clocks over their heads; the hands were not moving.

The duck landed on his rear roughly and bounced up quickly. Running as fast as his webbed feet would take him, he waddled back toward the group. "Hurry! Before the spell wears off!"

While Hikari abandoned her feathered façade and dismissed her clone, Red XIII took action. His shoulders were hunkered toward the ground, his paws were planted firmly, and his tail was slightly erect. The aura that appeared under his paws was the same color as the glow of his clip; the green of a forest's leaves.

Directly in-between the Zombie Brothers, blue and green spheres of non-elemental energy manifested. The spheres expanded, exploding into a fantastic light show that consumed the men. Many more little explosions, in practically any color one could conceive, were contained in the spheres.

Time returned to a normal pace for Hidan and Kakuzu just before the spell would end. The effects, which were latent due to Stop, harmed them immensely. Their screams could be heard over the crashes of the magic, but until it was clear, most of it was invisible to them. Everyone tensed.

Both men laid motionless where they stood previously, and everyone's shoulders relaxed a little. Hidan was obviously incapacitated; the energy's explosiveness loosened the cords around his neck, so his head was detached from his body again. Hikari retrieved her jacket from Donald and slid her arms through the sleeves as she ran to get a better look; even in the masses of his cables, there were no heartbeats.

"Way to go, Red!" Sora grinned, hoisting his Keyblade on his shoulder. The other shared his sentiments.

Red XIII sat with hunched shoulders and a hung head, either in relief, fatigue, or both. He closed his good eye and let his tail curl around his side. Ultima—the ultimate spell in his arsenal—took a lot out of him.

Donald, Goofy, and Hane celebrated, but Shikamaru wore a more grim expression as he walked toward Hidan's head. His eyes were cold, perhaps even disgusted. He met Hikari by the immortal's side; neither spoke.

"You pieces of trash! Jashin will punish all of you. You're all dead!" Hidan shouted. His eyes were bloodshot, and while there was no visible injury (minus the previous beheading,) it was evident he was in great pain. "I'll bite your frickin' throat out! Teeth are all I need! TEETH!" He looked at Hikari. "You too! I don't give a crap what that bastard said!"

The blonde shifted her weight to her left and rested a closed hand on that hip. "I don't know. . . . It's going to be a long time before you even see the light of day, again. It's going to be a lot harder, with your head and body on opposite ends of the forests."

He continued to glare at her when he noticed the other blonde approaching them. He had in his hands the blossom of a giant yellow marigold. He dropped the flower face down on the ground and performed a string of hand seals. The myriad of petals were all sharpened, and the bud as a whole was directed into a sort of spinning movement, thus drilling into the earth.

"You brought this on yourself, going after Yuugito," Shikamaru remarked coldly. "You know, when you curse someone, you dig your own grave."

The immortal was about to speak some more crude words—likely even a line about his mother—but Shikamaru kicked his head into the pit. The marigold rested at the bottom, and parted its petals so it could better consume the Akatsuki member; when his head reached the bottom, it budded up.

Still cold as ice, the chuunin took a few kunai with bombtags attached and threw them into the pit; they planted into the sides in strategic spots. When they were detonated, the hole collapsed upon itself, and Hidan's head was buried. The same would be done with his body, as well as Kakuzu's.

Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII's purpose in this world had been fulfilled.

* * *

Hikari upgraded the Gummi's engine from a Fire-G to a Firaga-G and replaced some old Gummi blocks with new ones. The exterior appearance remained generally the same, except the rocket boosters in the back were much larger.

Valedictions were quick and sweet, what with the list of things and people to find only getting longer and the Akatsuki now having a target on Hikari's back. Hane managed to steal a hug from her before their departure, but failed to peck her cheek; she had half-expected that one. Shikamaru thanked them for their help versus Hidan and Kakuzu, and wished them luck on their journey.

After lifting off and setting the Gummi on auto-pilot for their next destination, Hikari retreated into the ship's powder room and locked the door behind her, leaning against it with a blank look on her face. ". . . ." She closed her mouth, stepped away, and removed her jacket; it was set on the counter next to the sink. She also removed her shuriken earrings and holster, kunai pouch, and sheathed tantos; they were piled atop the jacket.

The water ran cold when she turned the knob of the faucet, and she pooled it in her hands to splash on her mug. As it trickled down her forehead, temple, cheeks, and chin, she rested her palms on the counter and stared at the water pouring down the drain. Her eyes looked up at her reflection, and her lips pursed before she lowered her gaze again.

She shut her eyes; her fingers curled. "Riku. . . ."

She retired to her bottom bunk after hanging her jacket on a hook and setting her weapons down on the ground. By the time they had left Chesapeake Forests, dusk had fallen, and she was beat from the day's conquests. She was removing her zori when Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered.

The blonde looked up at them as she slid the second sandal off. They were all silent, hesitant. She sat up. "What do you want?"

Goofy appeared guilty and glanced over at Sora, who was rubbing the back of his head and looking at the floor. "Uhhh. . . ."

Donald uncrossed his arms and put his foot down. "Aw, phooey! Are you hiding something from us?" The other two looked at him with wide eyes before glancing at Hikari.

Her shoulders slumped and there was a short pause. "Hiding?" They all looked at her, awaiting an answer; she looked at the floor and inhaled. "I know a kept a lot from all of you, about me, but . . . this time, I'm not holding anything back—nothing relevant, anyway.

"I'm not a jinchuuriki. They already have Naruto. After all that's happened. . . ." She raised one hand over the mark on her chest. She thought about how to go about her next statement; they did not yet know—and they did not need to know—about her curse mark.

She looked up at them and smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I mean, can you see me being a princess, with a heart of pure light? I didn't think so. . . ." Once more, she looked down. "I don't know why the Akatsuki would want me. Honest."

Sora gave a small smile. "We believe you. Right guys?"

Donald and Goofy affirmed with a quack and "a-hyuck" respectively.

Hikari looked up and watched them turn away. The Disney Castle mage and knight departed for their quarters, leaving the Keybearer and the kunoichi by themselves. She was looking off into space, and he was looking at her; he looked like he wanted to say something.

The blonde stood, about-faced, and moved the sheets of her bed so she could slide under them, facing the wall. Sora stepped forward and opened his mouth, but stopped; Red XIII passing by silenced him. The animal would be curled next to Hikari, as had been determined earlier; the bed was wide enough that they did not have to touch.

Ultimately, he could not find the words he wanted to say and closed his mouth. He removed his shoes and jacket before he climbed up to the top bunk. He laid on top of the covers, crossed his arms under his head, and stared at the ceiling. ". . . ."

* * *

The Rising Falls was a peculiar area of Hollow Bastion. Far from the entrance to the castle, one could only reach the castle gates area via lift. This area was much like a wide basin, or small canyon. Water appeared to literally rise from the ten-foot deep lake, completely surrounding it. Some rocky platforms and immobile bubbles were suspended in the space.

A lift dropped Cala and Hinata off at the bottom of Rising Falls, as far from the castle as possible. It left them on a small inlet of land just before the water.

A magical property of the water allowed anyone who stepped on it to walk on its surface without the employment of chakra, so Cala did not fall through when she left the stone slab. She scanned the area and walked with an arrow fitted to her bow pointing down; Hinata followed, ready to activate her byakugan if needed.

"This area is one of my favorite places to visit," began the hooded woman, "but there's usually a lot of Heartless activity. Darkballs especially. . . ." She removed the arrow from the bow, returned it to the quiver on her back, and smiled. "Looks like it's clear now, though."

Hinata performed a string of hand signs and jumped up onto one of the suspended rock platforms. The veins around her eyes became more defined as the byakugan was activated.

"I see you doubt me. . . ." Cala, who did not have the benefit of any formal physical training, could not simply vault on top; she could only jump high enough to grab onto the edge and struggle to lift herself up, and did so. "The falls—," she grunted, "—if you can even call them that, are very pretty. You can—hup—also get a good view of the castle when you reach the lift to Castle Gates." She managed to make it up and stood next to the kunoichi; she slung her bow over her shoulder. "So. We alone?"

"Mm-hmm," she affirmed. "I think we are." Not ready to deactivate her kekkai genkai, she hopped up and along the next few platforms. "I don't see any Heartless anywhere."

A winded archer followed, finding it easier with a steadier climb. It was almost like climbing on a staircase with wide steps. "That's . . . what I thought," she mumbled.

Hinata turned around; they were near the top, where the Castle Gates lift was. "Ah! I-I'm sorry. It's not that I doubted you, I just wanted to be sure. There are a lot of place for them to hide, because of all the rocks!"

The elder blue-nette reached her and smiled. "I understand. It's fine."

The lift from the Castle Gates area showed some activity, drawing both girls' attention. Quickly, before the person it carried could take notice of them, Cala grabbed Hinata's hand and jumped off the rock into a large bubble that encased both of them.

The bubble provided air as it lowered the girls to the floor beneath the water's surface. They looked up to see who would step off of the lift.

Cala reacted; it was Riku's face she saw. "It's that boy. . . ."

"What boy?"

She grabbed Hinata's arm and guided her under the rocks toward the other side, where there was a better view. "He's been here awhile, came a few months before you." Her eyes expressed pity. "Poor boy. . . . The people in that castle took him under their wing, but they aren't kind people. I feel bad for him, hanging around with that crowd. They've taken advantage of him, and are no doubt corrupting him.

"I wish there was something I could do . . . but there are so many, and I'd just end up getting myself killed. Same with you." She crossed her arms. "I'm not even sure they know I exist, and I'd rather keep it that way."

Hinata's brow furrowed, also feeling sympathy for Riku. Nervously she pushed the pads of her fingers together. "Let's hope . . . he leaves before the bubble runs out of air."

* * *

_This area with water rising toward the sky was the first part of a new world I truly saw with my own eyes. It was when Maleficent found me and offered to help me find Sora, Kairi, Naruto, and Hiki's body. I figured I had nothing to lose, and despite any suspicions I had, I accepted her offer. She and Pain shortly put me to use._

_I also felt Hiki inside me. She couldn't speak to me as clearly as before, since I only have a small part of her heart, but I could tell how she felt. I can feel her worry every time I do what Pain and Maleficent say. I can feel her frustration after I kept the last piece of her heart. I can feel her outrage with the way I see Sora._

_Sometimes I wish she'd keep her feelings to herself. . . ._

Riku stood on one of the suspended platforms closer to the lift Cala and Hinata had arrived in; the very rock where he had awoke after the darkness swallowed him. He recounted his days at this castle, took a second look at his actions. He felt a stirring in his chest as he mulled over the order given to him when he returned from Chesapeake Forests: capture Hikari when he next encountered, by force if necessary.

He scowled and clenched his fists. The order was not fair, nor did it make sense. It appeared to be without reason, more of a challenge to Riku than an actual assignment. Typically, when Pain wanted someone, he sent one of his own group; also typical, the target would serve a purpose to help meet Maleficent and the Akatsuki's ends.

_But maybe. . . ._

Next to him, a bubble rose out of the water and dumped two blue-haired, light-eyed girls in his peripheral vision. He turned to look at them directly. They could have been sisters, strikingly similar in appearance; he noticed the face of the girl with no pupils looked particularly familiar, seen through the window of the small house in Traverse Town.

Cala and Hinata simply stood, watching him.

After a long silence, Riku spoke. "Who are you, and why are you hanging around here?"

Cala stood in front of Hinata like a protective older sister, holding an arm in front of her. "We're no one you have to worry about. We're just minding our own business. . . . We're not going to interfere with the plans inside, so just leave us alone."

Riku was silent for a few moments, considering. Then, he glanced away and briefly cocked his head toward the lift in a quick motion. "Get out of my sight. I'm not interested in you two."

The blue-nette archer dithered, regarding him questioningly. _He's really going to let us go, as easy as that? _ ". . . Let's go, before he changes his mind," she whispered to Hinata. "Go. Go!"

She guided Hinata to turn toward the lift while keeping herself between the Hyuuga and Riku. At first she was slow, peeking over her shoulder at him, but when it seemed he was truly not going to pursue her, she faced forward and ushered Hinata faster. _Maybe they haven't totally corrupted him after all. . . ._

Riku turned to watch them; a slight breeze picked up his hair as he moved. He lifted his hand, palm facing outward like he was going to summon Heartless.

He seriously considered it.

His eyes were ice cold.

But he would not do it.

He closed his hand, brought it to his chest, and looked away. The glimmer in his chest stirred, but for once, it was not uneasy; there was warmth instead, like the small part of Hikari would be wearing a soft, relieved smile.

He closed his eyes and let his fist fall to his side.

_The stuff Hiki could tell me about a world that wasn't mine, her world, was amazing. It drew me to her. Unlike Kairi, she remembered, and unlike Naruto, she could show me. Then I started caring about her, and her life in that world._

_She could only show me things in dreams, but it didn't always feel that way. In these dreams, she was solid. When her hand brushed against mine, I felt it. When I held her waist in my arm, she blushed. When she cried, I could touch her shoulder, and make her feel okay. It was like she was "real."_

_But none of it was. Everything was gone when I woke up. I would still be stuck on that island and she would still be like a ghost._

_But since I came here. . . ._

* * *

Hikari attempted slumber, but it would not come. She sighed and turned onto her back, staring at the bottom of Sora's bunk. Her arms came up from beneath the covers.

A moderately quiet whisper came from above; her stirs had caught Sora's attention. "Hiki, you're awake?"

She hesitated. ". . . Mm."

"Then . . . can I ask you something?"

Once again, there was a small pause. She knew what he was going to ask; she had expected the question since he had found out about his best friend's appearance in Chesapeake Forests. It surprised her a smidgen that she had not been bombarded already.

"What happened with Riku?"

She blushed, felt her nerves tighten, and her heart ached. She inhaled. "Riku. . . ." _Sora was there, seeing the different parts of me argue. He knows I . . . have feelings for—Riku. But . . . I know that's not what he wants to know._

"Nothing changed. He's still on the wrong side."

There was silence from above, and then a small, "Oh."

She bit her lip and averted her eyes. "He asked me to go with him, but I said no. I tried to convince him to come with us, but he became upset. He told me he had the last piece of my heart, and wouldn't give it back to me. Then he left."

The boy was quiet.

She looked up. ". . . Sora?"

"Sorry. . . . He's so different from the best friend I used to have spars with, and teased me about the paopu fruit. I don't get what's gotten into him. . . ."

She sighed.

"We have to talk some sense into him!"

"That's the spirit," she replied. "But for now, we should probably try to rest. Good night, Sora."

"Right. . . . Night."

She heard him shifting above and decided to turn as well, so she faced Red XIII. For moments, the blonde was quiet, unable to shut her eyes. She was twisted upward a little, so her arm rested on the curve of her side and she glanced at the ceiling.

_My stomach feels sick,_ she thought, letting her hand slide over to her belly. Her eyes watered. _I just wondered . . . what if Riku invited me to go with him, under the Akatsuki leader's orders? They're both working for or with Maleficent. What if Hidan and Kakuzu—what if they were __**plan B?**_

Her eyes widened. _Does he know they have Naruto?_

She gasped and turned again, but this time, with her belly toward the mattress and her eyes gazing directly at Red XIII's mane. Now might have been a time when she would be petting Akamaru, if he were there.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. A chill set in her veins. Dews manifested in the corners of her eyes. _He wouldn't stand for it. He wouldn't be a part of it. He's Naruto's friend! If he knew the Akatsuki had Naruto. . . ._

_Quiet,_ she thought, trying to keep her breath even. _Sora might not be asleep yet._

Blinking cleared the haziness of her tears, allowing her to stare at Red XIII's mane again. His brown, furry, likely _soft_ mane, and received a thought, though she knew Red XIII did not care for being treated as a pet. He had been reluctant to share a bed with an "owner" like one, too.

However, his mane was irresistible, and on top of all the emotions she felt in regard to Riku and his wrongdoings, she missed Akamaru as well. She reached out to him.

His fur was velvety, silky for one with such a beastly appearance. She was not petting deep enough in his fur and mane to feel scars, if there were any. She found shutting her eyes and caressing him gingerly to be very soothing. The simple act was remarkably fulfilling.

She calmed and thought more rationally. _If Riku was "ordered" to take me in, he probably would've done it by force when I said no. He just left. And Naruto . . . it's possible he doesn't know. . . . He's been taking princesses, not jinchuuriki._

Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the dews that had begun forming in the corners of her eyes began to dry. Deciding that if she continued she would wake him before long, she retracted the hand that pet Red XIII, wiped her eyes, and rested it on the empty part of the mattress in front of her face.

_Riku . . . I know it's not over. It's just not._ She closed her eyes.

Red XIII opened his good eye and lifted his head, twisting to look over his shoulder at the girl. He gazed at her sad, yet serene, face, and his eye softened. _For helping me with Gilligan._ He returned to his original position and settled back into sleep.

**End of Chapter Thirty-Five**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-six: Monster

She was passing one of the side windows as she peeled the banana; a few angelfish swam by.

She stopped with the tip of the banana in her mouth. ". . . ?" Biting off a small piece, she walked back a few steps and looked out the window more directly. A school of fish crossed her vision, and she noticed the bottom side of a starfish was stuck on the window.

. . . . _"DONALD!"_

* * *

Hey guys! So, looks like I succeeded in posting under a month ^^ Would've been even quicker, actually-I had some luck, writing a page a day-but then I fell ill and lost desire to write... Ended up watching all of Death Note, Fruits Basket, and Fullmetal Alchemist (you're next, Brotherhood!) on Netflix :D Hehe. Any-who, I hope you enjoyed. **Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, don't forget to review!** The more reviews I get, the more drive I feel to write ^^


	36. The Little Sea Monster

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the dews that had begun forming in the corners of her eyes began to dry. Deciding that if she continued she would wake him before long, she retracted the hand that pet Red XIII, wiped her eyes, and rested it on the empty part of the mattress in front of her face.

_Riku . . . I know it's not over. It's just not._ She closed her eyes.

Red XIII opened his good eye and lifted his head, twisting to look over his shoulder at the girl. He gazed at her sad, yet serene, face, and his eye softened. _For helping me with Gilligan._ He returned to his original position and settled back into sleep.

Chapter Thirty-six: The Little Sea Monster

"Hey, Hiki, wake up! We've made it to the next world. Donald already landed the Gummi," called Sora. He beat on Hikari's mattress like a drum when her eyes remained closed. "Wakey-wakey, eggs and bacy!"

The kunoichi twisted part of the way onto her back and rubbed her eyes. "Mmmm. . . ." _I don't want to get up, though. . . . Do I really have to?_ She peeked with one eye as she stretched; according to the clock, she had slept for almost ten hours. ". . . It's time to get up."

Sora had already left the room, leaving Hikari some privacy as she dressed and performed some necessary parts of her morning routine. She did them quickly and proceeded toward the cockpit, stopping by only the kitchen to pick up a banana to curb her morning hunger.

She was passing one of the side windows as she peeled the banana; a few angelfish swam by.

She stopped with the tip of the banana in her mouth. ". . . ?" Biting off a small piece, she walked back a few steps and looked out the window more directly. A school of fish crossed her vision, and she noticed the bottom side of a starfish was stuck on the window.

. . . . _"DONALD!"_

In the cockpit, said duck jumped and widened his eyes with fear. He heard Hikari's stomping as she ran to the front of the ship. He squawked, and would have looked for a place to hide, but it was too late; she stood in the doorway connecting the hall and the cockpit.

"You sank my Gummi ship!" she yelled. "What were you _thinking?_ This thing is barely equipped to act as a boat, let alone a submarine! Man, I _just_ fixed the engine, too. What do you think being underwater will do to it?"

The duck quickly composed himself and crossed his arms. "Nothing will happen, I used my magic on the Gummi to keep water from hurting it. It keeps the air inside, too, just like a submarine. This world is all water—there was nowhere else to land!"

Hikari pouted and took another bite out of her banana. "What's this place called, anyway?"

"Atlantica." He smiled smugly, taking her silence as victory. "Now come on, we've got some exploring to do!"

Sora spoke up. "We're going out there? Into the sea? We'll drown!"

Donald shook his head and winked. "Not with my magic, we won't!"

"Magic this, magic that . . . ," Hikari mumbled. She finished her banana, tossed the peel in a trash bin, and followed the guys to the door. She did not question how they would exit without flooding the inside; there was a beam-like feature that would warp them outside.

The magic used by Donald to ensure they would not drown was a simple transformation spell that gave them the ability to breathe underwater. Sora's legs and hips resembled a blue-skinned dolphin's, and Donald traded in his legs for blue tentacles with yellow suckers. Goofy was now a sea turtle with only his head resembling his actual self and his shield attached to a yellow shell; Red XIII was made into a red sea lion, retaining only his face, mane, tattoos, and clips.

Hikari, like Sora, took on more of a merperson's appearance; only, her tail was salmon pink and did not resemble a dolphin. Her shuriken earrings were replaced with orange starfish dangling from a couple pearls. Aside from the Hokage necklace, the sole items on her torso were two starfish, much to her chagrin. More like patches than a bra, they deepened the line of her cleavage more than she would have liked.

Much more.

As soon as she noticed, she took one arm to cover it while the other was used to keep her from sinking. Without legs to kick with and no idea how to best move her tail, she struggled; the others were in a similar situation, adjusting to their fins and tentacles.

Red-faced, Hikari glared at the magician as he swam like a superhero flies; namely, his arms were stretched out in front of him. He was kicking, or pumping, with his tentacles. "You're trying to embarrass me now, aren't you? This is too revealing!" _It's worse than when Sora saw my bra. . . . This barely even has support!_

He turned his head toward her and twisted; somehow, he became upside-down. Annoyed—both with she and his tentacles—he crossed his arms and scowled. "What do you want? Mermaids wear starfish or sea shells!"

He averted his eyes and smiled darkly.

"Change me! Use something else—be creative!" She shook her head and performed the transformation jutsu. "Never mind, I'll do it myself."

The starfish were traded in for seaweed, which wrapped over her shoulders and across her breasts, over some pink fishnet. The fishnet was in the shape of a tank-top and cut shortly before it would cover her navel.

While Donald rolled his eyes, another mermaid, a yellow flounder, and a crab swam their way. The mermaid was a beautiful redhead with blue eyes, bright red lips, a green tail, and a purple seashell bra. She looked over her shoulder at the puny crab. "Come on, Sebastian!"

Sebastian continued to propel his claws like windmills. "Ariel, wait! Slow down! Don't leave me behind!" He came face-to-face with Donald, who was still upside-down, and screamed before quickly retreating.

"Relax, Sebastian," giggled Ariel. She stopped a small distance away from the gang and floated while she studied them. Somehow, Donald had fixed himself so he was upright. "They don't look like one of _them._ Right, Flounder?" She peeked over her shoulder at the yellow fish with blue stripes and fins.

"I don't know," the fish responded. He peered shyly from behind his friend. "There's something weird about them."

Sora laughed nervously and pumped his arms to keep himself from sinking. "Uh, w-whataya mean?"

Ariel approached the brunette and circled him, taking a closer look; he was trying to turn with her. "Well, they do seem . . . a little different." She looked at Hikari. "Seaweed isn't really used for fashion, here, either. Where are you from?"

"Uh. . . ." Sora thought of a lie while Donald shot Hikari a look for being singled out in not blending in; she responded with a flippant shrug. "We're from kinda far away, and we're not really used to these waters. . . ." He laughed nervously once more.

"Oh, I see." She smiled. "In that case, Flounder can show you how we swim around here."

* * *

Halfway through the swimming lesson, a group of jellyfish-like Heartless called "Sea Neon" interrupted. Their presence was minutely convenient in that they were about to begin the combat part of underwater training and Heartless were good practice dummies.

Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian led the gang to King Triton's palace in the center of Atlantica. The amount of Heartless they encountered in place of merpeople was concerning to the otherworldly visitors; the presence of darkness was rather strong.

A variety of Heartless called "Screwdiver" followed them to Triton's throne in a group of three. They looked similar to scuba divers dressed in green, but with fishlike helmets instead of goggles and they did not carry air tanks. As weapons, they carried metal spears.

From his throne, King Triton used his gold trident to strike the Heartless from existence with yellow energy. There was a deep frown on his face. "As long as I have my trident, I will not tolerate those creatures inside my palace!"

"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed with delight.

"Oh, Ariel!" he began, making her cringe. His presence was a powerful one, for his old age. He had a full head of long white hair and a complete mustache and beard. He was also in amazing shape; he had a very strong upper body and a healthy-looking turquoise tail. In addition to his crown, he wore gold wristbands. "When will you listen, it's dangerous out there!"

The red-haired mermaid rolled her eyes, having heard lines similar to this a thousand times.

Before he responded to his daughter's reaction, he noticed Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII's presence; Sebastian decided then to announce him. "Behold, you swim before the ruler of all the seas! His Majesty, King Triton!"

"And who are they?" he asked the crab.

"They helped us fight off those creatures!" Ariel smiled.

Reluctant, he said, "They don't look familiar."

Sora reiterated his earlier lie. "We come from an ocean, very far away."

"Yep!" chimed Goofy. Either distracted by something interesting or finding amusement in swimming as a turtle, he slid past Sora toward something invisible. "We came to find the Keyhole!"

Triton's eyes widened. "The what?"

Hikari and Red XIII exchanged concerned glances.

"What's that?" Ariel asked as she linked her arms behind her back.

"Well, it uh—"

Triton interrupted them with an intimidating tone. "There's no such thing, certainly not here."

"But Daddy—"

"Ariel, not another word! You're not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"

He was absolute. King Triton had laid down the law. The stare between father and daughter was a heated one, and ended with the latter defiantly swimming out of his throne room. Her friends—new and old, with the exception of Sebastian—followed her. Hikari and Red XIII looked back, wondering if they had been made.

Triton sighed. "Perhaps I'm being too strict. I'm just concerned for her safety."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Sebastian assured. "But I must admit, now I'm quite curious about this Keyhole."

The sea king's eyes darkened. "That need not concern you, Sebastian."

* * *

Ariel took everyone to her grotto, which was a short distance from outside the palace wall. Sora moved the boulder acting as a door to the entrance, admitting everyone to the bottom of a cylindrical area with many rows of naturally formed shelves. An opening at the top let in light from the sun, seen shimmering above the water's surface.

The shelves were filled with junk that would not belong in an ocean and had probably found its way underwater due to shipwrecks or the object simply falling overboard by accident. There was a myriad of items, from trunks to dolls and music boxes to silverware. She was proud of her assortment even so.

"Look at all of the wonderful things Flounder and I've collected. I think it's all from the outside world." Whimsically, the little mermaid swam upward and spun. "Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds." She stopped and turned to Sora. "Does that sound strange?"

"No, not at all," he replied. "I used to feel the same way."

She cocked her head. "Used to?"

"I mean . . . I still do."

Hikari peered at them out of the corner of her eyes as she held a white music box she had picked up from one of the shelves. The couple were posed mid-dance, and spun on a small metal stand; a beautiful melody played.

The look on Ariel's face as she spoke of those words—she recognized it as the same worn by Sora, Riku, and Kairi before that fateful night—the night everything was set in motion—on Destiny Islands. She especially was made to think of Riku.

_The day he discovered me on the islands—I was scared. I was already smitten with him; he was so amazing, the way he carried himself so coolly and maturely. And me—I didn't have a body, could never recognize friendship, and my brother was an idiot!_

_But, I had no reason to be afraid._

_Once we got passed the questions of how I came to be at Destiny Islands, and why I could appear as a ghost—questions I wasn't really sure how to answer—talking to him became pretty easy. He asked questions about my world, what I had seen. He wanted to know everything, and I was happy to tell . . . well, most of it._

_About a week after our first meeting in the secret place, I entered his dreams. I'd gained a few abilities as the ghost of a heart, and because Naruto was shacking up with Riku, it was a little easy—I also had his permission._

_In the domain of his dreams, I could make the Land of Shuriken and Kunai come alive for him—parts I remembered, that is. Mostly Konoha._

_I loved the look on his face as we ran around my village. Beneath his cool expression, he was glowing._

_It felt like a date. We were completely alone, running around the village with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts. We even laid down on the roof of the Hokage Building and cloud-watched, side by side. His hand brushed against mine, and it was like I could truly feel it; I was "solid" here._

_At one point, we were running toward the village gates. Even I was curious about what would lie beyond. I didn't get to leave the village much—didn't have reason to—so I couldn't remember what was outside very well. The most time I'd spent outside was far away, and I was young. . . ._

_Riku and I raced each other to the gates. The double doors were open just a crack, so we could see a little bit of green and a road before us. He looked over his shoulder and teased me; he was in the lead. He eventually beat me to the gate and pushed it open._

_I was not prepared for what I saw._

_When he pushed open the gate, the road and the trees disappeared. Konoha was still at our backs, but there was a clearing in front of us. The area darkened instantly, and inside the clearing, within an opening that could've been a mass grave, a staircase led to a secret hideout._

_One of Orochimaru's hideouts._

_The hideout where he had tainted me._

_I couldn't move. Riku had his back to me, so he didn't see my reaction, and started toward that evil place. "Let's check it out," he said._

_I reacted, stepped after him, reached out, and grabbed his hand. "N-no!"_

"—_!" He turned toward me with wide eyes. Throughout our time in my memory of my world, I had been more than happy to show him every nook and cranny he wanted, but this place was different. His eyes were silent, asking me why._

"_I. . . ." The words wouldn't come out. I didn't know what to say—I hadn't meant to grab his hand. I'd panicked! I was feeling tense all over, and I couldn't help the terrified look on my face as I stared into his eyes, trying to find my answer._

_Then, my mouth just started moving. "This place, this place isn't supposed to be here. It should be away—far away, but—but I don't know exactly where." I looked down at my zori and hid my blushing face with my hand. "I wanted to forget this place. . . ."_

_Riku looked back at the hideout, made even more curious about the inside than before. He was reluctant to turn away, but faced me even so. His hand tightened around mine, a reassuring grip. "Let's go look at the place where you and Naruto learned your jutsu."_

_I looked up at him. He was smiling at me so sweetly, trying to hide his disappointment; I couldn't help but smile softly back at him. "That's the Ninja Academy, back on the other side of the village. Are you sure you want to see a bunch of classrooms and empty training facilities?"_

_He nodded._

"_Okay."_

_We walked back through the Village Gates, holding hands._

Hikari softly looked at the couple in the music box. The melody was so pretty, she almost found herself humming it. She returned it to its place among the other miscellaneous items of Ariel's collection with a sigh. _Riku. . . ._

"Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?" Ariel asked suddenly.

"But your father said—," began Sora.

The redhead pouted and clenched his fists; had she legs, she probably would have stomped her foot. "Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never lets me do anything. He just. . . . He just doesn't understand."

Out of sight, near the opening of the grotto, Sebastian overheard.

* * *

Deep in the Tidal Abyss, Ursula's grotto lied. The sea witch herself watched over her bubbling cauldron, which contained the image of Triton's daughter and her new friends leaving for their search. A crimson grin spread across her face. "Ha! Those impudent fools will never find the Keyhole. Isaribi, now is her time to act.

"And, I've got the Heartless on my side," she laughed, waving a pudgy arm over the cauldron. It cast a slight glow on her purple complexion and made the jewels hanging from her ears sparkle just a little. The rush of bubbles disturbed her short white hair—which stood up under normal circumstances—and her black tentacles curled with satisfaction.

A girl around the same age as Hikari swam into the grotto through what appeared to be a large shell, but was actually a passageway. "Ursula."

"Girl" was not quite the correct term for her; while she was female, she not human and her appearance was not typical of a mermaid. Instead of a tail, she had a pair of scaly legs with small fins and amphibious webbed feet. Her arms were also scaly and had fins on the underside; her fingers were also partially webbed. Scales and gills were visible on her neck and covered all of her scalp; another fin crowned her.

Her face was light green, but was almost human in appearance. There were scaly patches on her cheeks under her eyes, and she had fangs. Her clothes, however, resembled styles above surface; she had a v-neck light blue jumper with slits at her hips, a white camisole, and brown shorts. A white band was around her waist.

Ursula turned and met the little sea monster's black-eyed stare. "Isaribi. Just the little creature I wanted to see." She grinned devilishly. "Come, sugar. It's time."

Isaribi's neutral expression did not change. "If I do this for you, then you'll change me? I'll no longer be a sea monster—you'll undo the experiments that made me this way. Can I trust in that?"

"You signed the dotted line, dear. I am contractually obligated to hold up my end of the bargain—if you do your part. Helping people is what I _live_ for, darling, hnhnhn."

Isaribi looked down at her scaly limbs and closed her hands. _What I'm doing . . . it's probably not right, but. . . ._ She looked up at the sea witch. "I won't let you down, Ursula." She eagerly swam passed her and her cauldron and departed from the grotto.

Ursula watched her leave and retained her sinister smile. When the "girl" was but a speck in the distance, the old sea witch started to chuckle darkly, which crescendoed into a delightful laugh. "That girl is an even more obedient _pet_ than Maleficent's lapdog!"

She stroked the ring of her cauldron and regarded the image of Triton on the liquid surface. ". . . Triton, my old friend. . . . Your day is coming."

* * *

Leading everyone to the site of a sunken ship, Ariel suddenly turned in front of the gang and floated casually into open water. She held her chin and looked up. "So, what's this Keyhole look like? Flounder and I don't know what to look for. . . ."

"Well . . . ," Sora began.

"Sora, summon your key." Hikari swam up to his side and explained. "You had treasure chests in your grotto, and were lucky enough to find keys for some of them. Keyholes are what keys—like what Sora's holding—go into. We're looking for a big version of that."

"Hmm, I don't think I've seen anything like that . . . ," she said, sounding discouraged.

Then, Red XIII spoke up. "Keyholes are usually hidden rather deeply, so residents often don't realize their existence. They could be anything or anywhere. I've heard of them in trees, doors, and even fountains."

The little mermaid tilted her head. "What are those things?"

Nervous they had given away a little much, they hesitated to reply. Hikari answered her questioning look. "Things from other worlds. . . . Not that we've seen them—we've heard about them. The Keyhole in this world will look like it belongs here, though."

"Okay." She turned toward the ship and began swimming again. "Flounder and I've wanted to explore this place for a while, actually. There are always so many of those creatures, though. And, it's rumored this is where the sea monster lives."

Donald stiffened. "Sea monster?"

Goofy swallowed. "What's that look like?"

Ariel shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen it, but people started talking about it three years ago, and the stories are pretty different." She turned toward them again and held her chin thoughtfully. "Let's see. . . . I've heard stories of it being huge, and small. Someone said it looks like a turtle, and others said it looked like a mutated fish or mermaid. It's even been said it could be like one of those creatures—what did you call them? Oh, 'Heartless.' The only thing they agree on is that it's green."

"That's _too_ different," Sora remarked. "Are you sure they aren't two different monsters?"

Ariel averted her eyes and started thinking again, but was quickly interrupted by Goofy.

"Look!" He pointed with his trembling fin. "I-is that one of them?"

Everyone followed his fin toward the sunken ship. On the other side of the crow's nest, Isaribi was suspended in the center of a circle of Screwdivers. She was far enough away that one could not tell if she was consorting with the Heartless or being ambushed by them.

"So, she's a small, mutated mermaid who's controlling the Heartless?" Ariel asked rhetorically. Flounder cowered behind her.

The gang did not reply immediately. In truth, if it were not for Ariel's say-so, they would not have known Isaribi looked irregular by Atlantica's standards. She was not dwarfish or gargantuan, and her scales were in slightly different places. Her attire was actually more human than mermish. Being foreign to this world, they were less quick to judge.

Then, one of the Screwdivers took its spear and attacked her.

This decided the situation for Sora. He summoned his Keyblade. "Sea monster or not, she's in trouble! We have to help her."

Hikari drew her tantos and Donald produced his staff. Minus further prodding they, as well as Red XIII, Goofy, and Ariel, swam after the Keybearer to the sea monster's aide.

Isaribi kicked her legs to remain afloat, but her hands were covering her side where a Screwdiver had wounded her; the water was turning red with her blood. The Heartless were still around her, an apparent threat yet not relentless in their assault. Another positioned itself to attack, but it was quickly rammed into by Red XIII.

The gang each took on their own Heartless. Goofy and Red XIII adopted a similar style of butting them like rams (the former because he had his shield on the back of his shell) although Red would occasionally employ his fangs and magic. Sora, Hikari, and Donald's style did not change much from how they fought above water, except they refrained from Thunder/Lightning or Fire-based magic or jutsu. Ariel also contributed, weakly smacking a Screwdiver with her fin or using magic of a supportive nature.

Isaribi removed herself from the ruckus while the Heartless were distracted. She was slow, and would have been limping on land, but she simply floated along with small kicks. She cast a dubious glance at the group and noticed the trail of red, cloudy water she left.

Donald finished off his target first with Blizzard magic and helped Ariel end hers. Shortly after, the rest of the Heartless were exterminated within seconds of each other. As soon as Sora defeated his, he dismissed his Keyblade and swam over to Isaribi, taking one of her scaly arms over his shoulder—it felt like having a snake on him.

The duck raised his staff and casted Cura. Magic in the form of clovers came to be around the wound, glowing, but blood continued to contaminate the water; there was zero effect.

Hikari furrowed her brow. _"Cure" doesn't work on people in this world, either? But Ariel was casting it, too. How—ah. Chakra. Come to think of it, I can sense some. And Ariel said rumors of the sea monster began about three years ago._

She saw more Heartless headed their way out of the corner of her eye. "Let's take her to the palace. I can work on her there without having to worry about the Heartless."

The Keybearer nodded and reaffirmed his hold on Isaribi. "You just hold your wound, okay? I'll do all the kicking. Trust me."

She stared at him widely and cynically. Her wound was not so serious that she would lose her insides if she uncovered it, and she would be fine if she persisted pressure, but she would likely overexert herself trying to swim to a safe place. She also was not trained in medical ninjutsu. Even so, she was reluctant to receive help from someone—especially someone who appeared to be normal; attractive, even.

She frowned and blushed. "You want to help me?"

"Sora's like that," Donald said. "He meddles in everything."

Goofy chuckled. "Especially when a girl's involved."

The brunette blushed. "Her being a girl has nothing to do with it!"

"Um, guys?" inquired Flounder, who had been hiding in the crow's nest of the ships. He carried a piece of crystal that resembled the head of Triton's trident in his mouth.

"What's that you got, Flounder?" Ariel asked.

"I found it in the nest," he answered timidly. "But, the Heartless are getting closer . . . shouldn't we leave?"

"You're right," nodded the mermaid. "Let's get going." Taking the lead, she swam out of the area. Sora was directly behind her with Isaribi, and Donald brought up the rear as he fired a few spells to keep the dark beings at bay.

* * *

The gang decided to take Isaribi back to Ariel's grotto, feeling King Triton may not have taken kindly to the "sea monster" being brought inside his palace. She was placed at the very bottom, where Hikari proceeded to put Tsunade's gem to use.

The wound was a fairly simple fix. It was not very deep and it avoided infection. Isaribi was silent the entire time, having not been eased by earlier banter about Sora's meddling. She was still anxious, being apparently accepted by these people.

Ariel took the crystal trident Flounder found in the shipwreck and placed it in a similarly marked crest on the wall of her grotto. It glistened from the sunrays that reached it as the group watched it expectantly.

Suddenly, they heard a voice: "Ariel, you've disobeyed me again!"

The glow on Hikari's hands from her use of medical ninjutsu faded as she finished healing and she turned her head with the others to the grotto's entrance, where King Triton stared them down; they were tense, Ariel in particular.

"I told you not to leave the palace!" the sea kind bellowed. He looked passed the party at the crystal in the wall, sparkling. Frowning deeper than ever, he raised his actual trident, pointed it at the crystal, and ignored his daughter's plea not to destroy it; he unleashed a great bolt of energy that blew it into small pieces.

The little mermaid stared at the destroyed stone in awe. "H-how could you. . . ." On the verge of tears, she stormed out of the grotto.

King Triton simply turned to the others. He singled out Sora. "Young man, you're not from another ocean. You're from another world. Aren't you?"

Sora's jaw dropped. "Huh?"

"Then you must be the Keybearer."

"How did you know?"

"You may fool Ariel, but you don't fool me. You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail."

Hikari glanced at her form. _We have both . . . ?_

"And also," continued Triton, as he turned his attention to Isaribi, "only outsiders would treat that thing as anything but a monster!"

His eyes were full of disgust, brimming with hate. They were eyes that struck something within Hikari, who had become acquainted with such a gaze when hand-in-hand with her brother in Konoha. Back then, it brought tears to her eyes, but even now, when it was not directed at her, it twisted her heart.

The blonde rose from the floor and stared at Triton with stone cold eyes. "Her _appearance_ makes her a monster, huh?" She grunted. "You don't even know the meaning of the word. Someone who can gaze at an innocent person, someone they don't even really know, with eyes like yours is the real monster!"

All surprised eyes were on her; but for now, she only had eyes for Triton. She ignored Sebastian yelling at her for speaking to the king in such a way. "Not all monsters have claws and fangs, or are disfigured. Real monsters are those with hearts blacker than a shadow." Her shoulders shook as she pointed outside. "Or whose very being is made of darkness, like the Heartless. So how—"

Isaribi was looking up at Hikari as she unloaded, and could not believe her ears. From the moment the blonde began, the little sea monster had to recover from her shock at someone actually _defending_ her. But soon, she found her ability to stand, grab onto Hikari's arm, and speak. "Stop!"

"Eh—!" The blonde looked down at her. "But why?"

"It's okay," she replied, letting go. She was stoic. "Leave me alone. You've done enough for me already."

"You serious? I can't do that." She threw her arm toward Triton. "He's—"

Isaribi's fangs grit as she snapped, "I'm telling you it's none of your business! I'm a _freak._ On my world, a human with scales is unnatural, and here, I'm deformed. No matter where I go, I'm mutated. It's natural for them to find me creepy."

Hikari's shoulders slumped. "How is that your fault?"

She looked away. "That doesn't matter. Humans—or merpeople—don't let someone different from them into their group." Once she said that, she swam out of the grotto before anyone could stop her; she was a very speedy swimmer.

Triton watched her to make certain she left and turned his attention back to the group. He addressed Hikari first, and then Sora. "Regardless of her appearance, outsiders are not welcome here. As a Keybearer, you may already know. . . . One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"Of course I know that," Sora began, "but. . . ."

"You have violated this principle. The Keybearer **shatters peace** and **brings ruin.**"

"Aw, Sora's not like that," Goofy injected with a stupid grin.

"I thank you for saving my daughter," the sea king responded as he turned around. "But, there is no room in my ocean for you or your key." He swam away.

Sora stared hard at the Keyblade and Hikari looked down at her open hands, which she closed. She also shut her eyes and trembled.

**End of Chapter Thirty-Six**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-seven: Bijuu

Meanwhile, malevolent laughter rang inside the palace, as Ursula brandished Triton's prized weapon. "The trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear." She glanced at Isaribi.

The little sea monster floated near the throne, where Triton sat in a weakened state. She frowned and looked away, feeling contrite. She did not speak.

* * *

This one was a pretty easy write, since it's basically a rehashing of Atlantica. This was the introduction chapter, so I guess it's to be expected a little. For Naruto readers who read only the manga, Isaribi is not an OC of mine, she is a filler character from the Land of the Sea Arc (or whatever they call it... it delves into Anko's past a bit.) Like Yakumo for Wonderland, I felt she was most appropriate for this world.

I'll leave this short and sweet. Any questions? Please leave them in a review or privately message me. No questions? You can leave a review anyway! :D **Thanks for reading, God bless. Please, leave a review!**


	37. Bijuu

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Triton watched her to make certain she left and turned his attention back to the group. He addressed Hikari first, and then Sora. "Regardless of her appearance, outsiders are not welcome here. As a Keybearer, you may already know. . . . One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"Of course I know that," Sora began, "but. . . ."

"You have violated this principle. The Keybearer **shatters peace** and **brings ruin.**"

"Aw, Sora's not like that," Goofy injected with a stupid grin.

"I thank you for saving my daughter," the sea king responded as he turned around. "But, there is no room in my ocean for you or your key." He swam away.

Sora stared hard at the Keyblade and Hikari looked down at her open hands, which she closed. She also shut her eyes and trembled.

Chapter Thirty-seven: Bijuu

Triton's palace appeared to be barren of sea life and Heartless. Not even the sea king was present, but his trident was suspended behind his throne, unprotected.

Isaribi lingered at the entrance and scanned the area, confirming that she was alone. Her expression was a mixture of caution and apprehension. She swam a few feet forward and looked back over her shoulder. Ursula emerged from the darkness, wearing a shadowy smile.

* * *

Similar to Ariel's grotto, the Undersea Garden was practically enclosed; however, the area was considerably wider, and there was a lot more sunlight breaking through the ocean's exterior. Underwater plant life thrived, growing in the shelves and on the head of a rock shaped like a chaise lounge.

Ariel sobbed on the arm of that rock, her tears becoming lost in the sea. She was kneeling, and buried her face into her crossed arms. Hikari, Sora, and the rest of the gang found her in this state when Flounder led them to the garden.

"I'm so sorry, Ariel," Sora said. "We all are." His eyes expressed genuine pity, as did most everyone else's.

Hikari hung back in the entrance silently. She was still as the others nodded in agreement; she was contained in herself, recounting what had occurred with Triton and Isaribi.

_I'm—shocked. It always angered me to see those eyes, but when they were directed at me, I'd lose my nerve. I never blew up to the villagers' faces like that. . . ._

_It just all feels so wrong—what Triton did, and what he said. I can't stand that look, all of that fear and hate. I get that he's afraid. . . . The villagers were afraid of me and Naruto._ She hugged herself and drifted toward the wall so she could lean her back against it. _It makes me feel cold . . . not just being on the receiving end, but also seeing someone look that way at someone else who doesn't deserve it._

_Isaribi . . . she's just like my brother. Except her problem is her looks. People who didn't know about the Fox didn't bother Naruto, but she has a point . . . a lot of people won't look passed her appearance._

Ariel was rubbing her eyes, positively responding to efforts to cheer her up. "Thanks, everyone, but it's not your fault. Like I said before, my father just doesn't understand. Anyway, I'm really sad that now we won't be able to see what that crystal does, or if it does anything at all!"

Red XIII chimed in. "On a higher note, we have a theory on where one might find this world's Keyhole."

The little mermaid brightened. "You do?"

"Yes. We believe it may be in King Triton's palace."

She winced, seeming uncertain. "The palace? There isn't anything special there, though. . . ."

"Remember, Keyholes are typically inconspicuous, so most residents will not recognize their presence. It is as much a part of this world as the water." Mentally, Red XIII added, _We all deduced that because of King Triton's awareness of the Keyblade, he may want to keep a closer eye on it._

"Oh. . . ." She closed her hand and straightened, appearing determined. "Let's go!"

* * *

Meanwhile, malevolent laughter rang inside the palace, as Ursula brandished Triton's prized weapon. "The trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear." She glanced at Isaribi.

The little sea monster floated near the throne, where Triton sat in a weakened state. She frowned and looked away, feeling contrite. She did not speak.

Two green eels, Ursula's lackeys, circled the sea witch. Each had a bad eye, one left and one right. Flotsam, the first, stated, "We cannot find the Keyhole."

Jetsam, his other, reiterated, "The Keyhole is not here."

"What!" she exclaimed; then she noticed figures approaching the entrance and turned. She smiled, seeing Sora at the head of the pack. "Why, we have company. I'm afraid you're a little late, handsome!"

Ariel saw her father and swam swiftly to his side, their previous contention forgotten. Concern was written all over her face, and her stomach was in knots. She touched his arm, but received little reaction. "Daddy. . . ." She looked at Ursula accusingly. "What did you do?"

"Don't look at me, sweetheart," she replied as she caressed the trident. "My hands are clean of this. Why don't you ask Isaribi?"

Hikari stopped next to Sora just inside the room and looked toward Ariel and Triton. She also saw Isaribi a few feet away, at Ursula's prompting; the little sea monster had been looking on with an expression of guilt, and she now looked away in shame.

"Isaribi . . . what are you doing here?" She glanced at Ursula and back. "Did you. . . . Are you helping her?"

The blonde did not receive a response. She furrowed her brow. "Why?"

Isaribi felt all eyes on her and hung her head. "It . . . it can't be helped." She looked at Hikari, eyes pleading and amphibious hands curled into fists. "This is the only person who can return me to normal!" Her heart twisted and she closed her eyes. "It's in our contract. . . .

"People are judged based solely on appearance. On the Land of Shuriken and Kunai, people didn't dare come near me, even though my scales were covered with bandages. . . . I want to return to my former body, I want to be human!" She raised her head and added strongly, "For that reason, I decided I'll do anything!"

Hikari closed her eyes, absorbing her words, and rested a hand on her hip. When she opened her eyes, they were cold. "Idiot! It's not your appearance that makes you a monster. You 're still a human being. It's what you're doing that makes people think you're a monster! You're one of the 'sea monsters' who's been terrorizing people! Aren't you?"

"Stop it. . . ." Isaribi shouted and covered her ears. "Shut up!"

"Doing bad things, allying yourself with the sea witch—_those_ are what make you fit to be called 'monster.'"

Isaribi sobbed and screamed, "I don't want to hear it! Shut up! Shut up!" She hunched over and her shoulders shook. Quieter, more pathetically, she asked, ". . . Are you bullying me, too?"

The blonde's eyes softened and she let her arm fall to her side. "No, I'm trying to open your eyes to the light. My brother is a jinchuuriki. He has a Heartless inside him. Everyone in the village hated him—and me. I know what it's like to have those eyes turned at you! And—," she hesitated and lowered her head. "And I know how sad, and angry it can make you feel. It hurts so much, and the darkness starts to blind you—it feels like you have no choice but to take a bite of the forbidden fruit. But you do have a choice, Isaribi."

Her shark-like teeth grinded. "You're lying! You're normal. And even if you're telling the truth, at least you didn't have to face it alone. I want to be like you, too! The experiments that made me this way—I want them reversed!" She whipped toward Ursula. "I helped you get the trident, so now it's your turn to help me! That was our deal. Do it, do it now!"

The sea witch offered a sly grin and cooed. "Absolutely, child. Don't cry. The day has come and the trident is mine, hnhnhn. You've held up your end of the contract."

Isaribi relaxed, looking hopeful.

"Yes. . . . I will liberate you of this sea monster vessel, as written in our contract . . . ," she pointed the trident at Isaribi, ". . . by turning you into a _Heartless!_ HA HA! You should read what you sign more carefully, my dear!"

Sora darted in front of Isaribi and summoned his Keyblade, taking on a protective stance. "You witch!"

Ursula smirked, lowered the trident, and disappeared into ink and bubbles, leaving the resounding echo of her cackles behind.

Ariel continued tending to her father. "Daddy. . . ."

Weakly, he said, "The trident . . . we must get it back."

"We'll go after Ursula and bring it back," Sora promised. He turned to Isaribi. "You're coming too, right? I don't think you're a monster. You did something wrong because you thought it was the only way, and even though it wasn't right, you can still redeem yourself."

He lowered his head. "I have to believe that, because one of my best friends is doing the same thing."

Hikari also looked down. _Riku. . . ._ Calmly, and even kindly, she addressed Isaribi. "Listen . . . you said experiments made you this way, right? There might not be any reversing them. But then there might be." She raised her wrist which held her summon gems, drawing attention to Tsunade's. "See this gem? It contains Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade, one of the most renowned medical ninjas ever. Her power is what helped me heal you earlier." She lowered her arm. "I don't know how to restore her, but her student, Sakura Haruno, is also exceptionally skilled, and we know where she is.

"Help us. Clear your conscience, and we'll take you to someone who may be able to help you—and who won't betray you."

The girl was still in a state of shock, staring with wide eyes at the spot where Ursula made her escape, but slowly turned her neck to look at Sora and Hikari. She tightened her brow. "How do I know you won't betray me, too?"

"You don't, I guess," started Sora. "But we've only helped you so far."

She looked down and thought about it for a few moments; then, she raised her head and nodded with determination. "I want to help. Not just to reverse my mutation, but to redeem myself, too. I don't want to be a monster, in either sense of the word. I don't want scales on my body or darkness in my heart."

The gang regarded her genially; Hikari smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way. Sora, Donald, Goofy. Red XIII and Isaribi. Let's move!"

Ariel stopped everyone before they would leave. "Wait, stop. I'm going with you. My father's hurt. There must be something I can do!"

Sora nodded. "Come on!"

* * *

A trail of ink left behind by Ursula's escape led the group to Atlantica's surface, where the sea witch waited. She was ten times larger than before; should she choose, she could eat anyone of them in a single bite. She also wore a crown like Triton's as she brandished a larger version of his trident.

The gang all poked their heads above water. There were tiny islands everywhere, though none were large enough to house the Gummi (as Donald had earlier testified.) The skies began to blacken with rolling black clouds.

"You pathetic fools! I rule the seas now," she cackled. As she raised the trident, she bellowed, "The sea and all its spoils, _bow to my power!_"

The trident glowed brightly and projected a beam of light that cut through the darkness. Under the water's surface, there was an inky blackness, and a massive shadow—as massive as Ursula's current form—took its place. Once still waters rippled constantly.

A strange mist rose from the surface, cloaking first Ursula but wafting toward everyone else. Her expression fell as her eyes darted toward invisible persons and she flinched back. "What! No . . . no! You can't take this power from me! It's mine! Get away! Get away!" Fear marking her visage, she started swinging the trident recklessly. Darkness seeped from her pores, and her eyes glowed yellow.

Something, looking almost like a tail, suddenly lashed out and struck the sea witch across her waist with concussive force. She screamed and her body disintegrated in darkness, leaving behind a heart. The heart was consumed by darkness.

The group watched in shock as the consumption transpired. The mist was wafting their way, but they did not pay it much attention; their cognizance was occupied by the sea witch's disappearance. "Gwaaaaah! Where'd she go!" yelped Goofy.

"Forget that! Who was she yelling at?" Donald squawked.

"Don't forget. She summoned something also," added Red XIII.

Among the group, there was an uneasy tension as they kept their senses open, waiting for the invisible threat. The mist enveloped them, darkening the area a little more. Sora summoned his Keyblade and scanned the open sea.

Then, abruptly, his eyes fell on a familiar sight: the shores of the island where he and his friends once played. His jaw dropped.

* * *

Three stygian souls gathered in Villain's Vale around a circle of green magic that cast a glow on everyone's faces. All wore black robes, but only two were decorated with artistic red clouds; the third had varying shades of purple in its folds.

"Another fallen member," Pain uttered. Although his words were of pity, his face was as emotionless as always. Konan, his silent partner, was similarly neutral.

"A tragedy," Maleficent remarked with false sympathy. "But with the Heartless under our control, the loss is hardly staggering. That overconfident vizier, the puppet freak, the Zombie Combo. And now the briny sea witch—"

"You shouldn't speak so callously of fallen members," chastised the Akatsuki leader. "It's disrespectful."

Maleficent leered at him from the corner of her eyes, but then let her blood-red lips curl. "Of course." Her scarlet nails touched the robes over her dark heart. "My deepest regrets." She turned back to the image on the table. "I understand the darkness took Ursula in its embrace, but it was remarkably abrupt, wouldn't you agree?" The images in the circle rewound to the point when Ursula began shouting. Quietly, the sorceress murmured, "What happened here . . . ?"

"A Tailed Beast," he answered. "A bijuu."

She looked at him again. "A jinchuuriki, you mean? How quaint. She had one all along, and never shared."

"It's what a jinchuuriki contains. This tailed beast, this Heartless, does not have a jinchuuriki host." The image paused when one of the tails struck the sea witch. If one were to look close enough, there were two more tails barely emerging from the surface. "The Three-tailed Turtle, to be exact.

"Before the Land of Shuriken and Kunai met its end, the Akatsuki gathered some information on the Turtle. One thing we learned was that it could excrete an hallucinogenic mist. This mist causes one to face their worst fears, memories . . . in a sense, great darkness, and pain."

"I see." The witch fingered her chin. "Thus, the Three-tailed Turtle drew out the darkness of her pitiful heart and facilitated its consumption." She turned away from the table. "But it simply won't do to bring that massive, wild thing here in that state. You should send one of your grunts to seal the beast in the Keybearer or one of his friends. It will be much easier to handle with a host, yes?" She glanced back fleetingly and stepped away.

Pain looked at her back. "Actually, you would be most suited for the task."

Maleficent stopped walking and Konan, who had remained silent and almost motionless all this time, turned her face toward her partner.

"Do you!" she snapped. "Treating me as a subordinate when you and I are meant to be standing on equal ground is an insult, Pain. Your insolence is rather remarkable." Her words had bite, and her smile was angry. "Why do you feel _grunt work_ like this is most suited to _me?_"

"You are a formidable sorceress, Maleficent. And while members of the Akatsuki are indeed powerful, jutsu used to seal a Tailed Beast inside the host usually sacrifices the life of the user. Given the recent losses to our factions, it would be advisable to avoid them. Your magic is capable, correct?"

The sorceress laughed and caressed the bulb of her scepter. "I did not think shinobi to be so feeble, or your jutsu so taxing. Yes, my magic is capable of sealing that beast. My power over darkness would be strong enough to control it, too. I _am_ the Mistress of All Evil, after all.

"I will abide your request this one time." She disappeared in shadows.

After a few moments of silence, Konan finally spoke. "You're planning something."

"I told you. Maleficent is practically useless to me now. Her ego is inflated with her superiority complex, but she has no right." He looked at her. "_I_ will be God."

* * *

_Sora. . . ._

"Who's there!" The brunette turned 360-degrees, and did not see a soul. He looked down, and to further his surprise, he wore his typical attire instead of his merman disguise. "But . . . I was just in Atlantica . . . wasn't I?"

He cupped his mouth and shouted. "Hiki! Donald! Goofy! Red! Jiminy . . . ! Where is everyone?"

Once again, he heard his name; it sounded like it came from the island.

Taking a deep breath, he swam for the shore. He quickly reached shallow waters and took to his feet. He noted that he had not crossed paths with a single fish, or seen any of the small crabs usually native to his home. Discounting gentle waves rolling onto the beach and the voice, Destiny Islands appeared to be stagnant.

Another whisper carried by a light breeze directed him toward the secret place at the base of a large tree. The leaves hiding the entrance rustled eerily. If it were not for the fact that the voice sounded familiar to him, he would have been more hesitant to approach.

The brunette entered without trepidation and walked through the corridor to the cave. Countless drawings decorated the walls, many etched by his hand in his youth. Memories were preserved in rock, tangled in the tree's roots. Toward the back wall, a familiar door remained closed.

None of those caught Sora's attention, however. His eyes were fixated on a petite, redheaded female standing with her back toward him. He uttered her name. "Kairi. . . ."

The girl twisted his way and gazed at him with soft blue eyes. One of her hands touched the wall while the other held a smaller rock typically used to create marks on the wall. Behind her was a picture he and she had collaborated on as kids. She drew him and he drew her; her artistic ability was certainly better than his.

The drawings had simply been of their faces, but the day before his journey began, he had modified it just a little. In-between their faces, he had drawn an arm extending from his face to Kairi's, holding a paopu fruit.

Someone else, however, had drawn a big bold X through it all.

"You remembered!" Chalky white residue marked her hands. She directed her attention back to the wall. Her voice was cheerful, teasing; just like he remembered. "Lazy bum. I'm not surprised it took you this long to find me. You were always snoozing on the beach."

He did not think she was serious, so his reply was just as light; he laced his fingers behind his head. "Give me some credit, Kairi. I've been searching everywhere for you."

"No, you gave up," she said flippantly; as if she had not a care, she began drawing on the wall again. Sora could not see her face, but her voice did not change its tone. "It was easier for you to replace me and Riku, wasn't it? You've made so many new friends. . . ."

Sora's blood ran cold. Her tone was not accusing, but that made the words all the more trying to hear. He was not sure that she would jest about something like this, and Riku had accused him of similar things. He clenched his fists.

"That's not funny! They're helping me." He straightened a little and softened. "Kairi, are you feeling okay?"

The hand she was using to draw with suddenly stopped and lowered to her side. The drawing was a poor attempt at Riku; her lips curled into a fond smile at it. "But I'll always be able to depend on Riku. He's stronger, more mature, and he isn't lazy, like you. He would do anything for me. Even side with the darkness. . . .

"_I always liked him better."_

Sora felt a sharp pain in his chest, but before he could truly react to her words, something strange occurred that caused him to step back. As if they had been drawn with Sai's ink, the drawings sprang off of the cave wall and were suspended in the empty space.

Kairi turned to face him, still wearing a familiar smile that showed teeth. Then, the drawing he had made of the hand sharing paopu fruit suddenly pierced her back and punched through her chest, tearing her heart out of her chest cavity. She still smiled.

Blue veins became puffy and popped out on her skin. A bright yellow glow set in her eyes, and her hair darkened from ruby to ebony. Her fair complexion turned ink black, and her body mutated; antennae grew from her scalp, and her posture became ape-like. "Sora. . . ."

"Kairi!" He started running toward her, but the distance would not close. Shadows grew in the cave to consume the rock and camouflage Kairi, until her glowing yellow eyes were all he could see. _"Kairi!"_

But it all disappeared.

He stared into Hikari's face.

He was a merman again.

He had returned to Atlantica.

Hikari had a hand on his shoulder and gained his attention. "Sora. Hey, are you back with us?"

The Keybearer looked around with saucer-wide eyes. The mist that had been hanging around them was gone, but everyone remained vigilant. Though he still felt ice from Kairi's words, he began to wonder if he had ever left Atlantica in the first place. Shadows set in his eyes, he asked, "What happened?"

"You were hallucinating," she answered. "Everyone was. The mist we saw—that was the cause. It made everyone see scary or hurtful things. I'm told they were very vivid trips, and felt real. I was able to use a good wind jutsu to get it away, though."

"You weren't affected?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I don't know why, though. . . ."

_Everyone else was yelling, shaking, or on the verge of tears. Donald was squawking like his family had cast him out, Goofy sounded like his son had snapped at him, Ariel was having more father issues, and Red XIII looked to be in the exact state we found him in on Monstro. And Isaribi. . . ._

She looked at the little sea monster. _I think she relived being ostracized by the civilians of her home, and the experiments that made her the way she is._

_I heard her whisper Orochimaru's name, too. If he's the one who made her this way, then she's not like Naruto . . . she's like me._

She placed a hand over her curse mark. _I lied a little. The mist _did_ affect me, I think, but not as strongly as everyone else. I didn't see anything, but my curse mark began to ache, and I couldn't stop the memories from flowing into me. . . ._

Those thoughts were shaken from her head when the waves rolled strongly once more. Knowing this was not the time to dwell on things, she prepared for action by deactivating her transformation jutsu; if this fight was going to occur on the surface, she would do it without the hindrance of a mermaid's tail. Expending chakra, she lifted herself on top of the water, revealing her legs.

Ariel and Isaribi reacted; the redhead exclaimed. "What!"

"We'll explain later," Hikari said quickly. "It's easier for me to fight this way. Right now, we should focus on the enemy. Looks like it's going to show itself, now."

"Uh. . . ." The little mermaid closed her mouth and turned her head, heeding the kunoichi's advice. A determined expression crossed her visage as the monster Ursula summoned began to surface.

An aqua green, crab-like shell emerged with shrimp-like tails counting to three. Water ran off the behemoth, and one could see red muscular tissue under the shell. Horns adorned a disproportionately large lower jaw as well as its large forehead. Its forelegs looked similar to human arms, but it had no hind-legs to speak of. It had dark eyes with red pupils but the one on the right was closed. Primarily, the beast resembled a large turtle with tails.

"It's ginormous!" Goofy exclaimed.

"What is that thing? A Heartless? The other sea monster?" questioned Red XIII.

Hikari's eyes were wide, and her heart beat faster. Memories of the Nine-tailed Fox stealing her heart crossed her mind. _No way. . . ._ "It's both, _and_ it's a tailed beast—a bijuu. See the three tails? But, it doesn't look like it has a jinchuuriki host."

Her eyes hardened as she brainstormed. _Can we win this? The Nine-tailed Fox caused a lot of damage to my village, and we had an entire ninja army. We even lost the Fourth Hokage that night. One swing of its tail could destroy mountains and create tsunamis. There are only seven of us, including Ariel, and she's not a very skilled fighter._

_I think more tails is supposed to equal more power, so this one shouldn't be as strong as the Fox . . . but Shukaku, the bijuu in Gaara was also overwhelmingly powerful. Naruto had to summon Gamabunta, the boss toad, to defeat it. . . . Ah!_ She looked at the gems on her wrist. _I think I've got it—!_

While Hikari had been consumed in her thoughts, the others exchanged looks and nodded; the magic-users, namely. Ariel, Sora, Donald, and Red XIII casted varying levels of ice magic—the mermaid could muster only Blizzard, the Keybearer had learned so far as Blizzara, and the mage and lion-like animal had mastered Blizzaga.

Numerous ice projectiles of different shapes and sizes flew toward the Three-tailed Turtle, carrying cold winds with them. In response, the bijuu roared with a force that created sizeable, rippling waves and shattered the ice into tiny snowflakes that melted almost instantly; this broke Hikari from her thoughts.

The beast smashed its tails onto the water, creating a column of water nearly two stories high heading straight for everyone; the beast's subsequent submergence added to the unstable surface. Hikari lost her footing and fell, only to be swallowed by a giant wave.

_Maybe I was a little too hasty in deactivating the Mermaid Form, especially when I can't activate it myself,_ she thought. She held the breath she had taken just before her submergence as she felt the water pull her down further; she did not bother exerting herself by fighting the current.

To ease the ache setting in her lungs, she released the breath slowly. Her sinking slowed, and she turned upright before she would end up too deep. Fortunately, however, she would not have to make the ascent herself; Isaribi appeared at her side, took her arm, and swam speedily toward the surface.

She carried the blonde to a small island as the latter caught her breath and climbed onto the land with her. While Hikari laid on her back, taking deep breaths, Isaribi stood by and closed her eyes. The mass of her arms, legs, and torso shrank a smidgen to resemble a lanky, human teenage girl, and many of her scales disappeared. They now covered only a part of her arm, one leg, a patch on her neck, and on her cheek. Her skin returned to a fair complexion and she had short purple hair that was cut very close to her scalp, except for some chin-length locks on either side of her face.

Hikari sat up and looked at her. _You can see the girl she once was. . . ._

The others appeared and gathered around the small island. Ariel spoke up. "We lost it. For being so big, it's really fast!"

"That's okay," Hikari reassured. "We need to plan right now anyway." She began removing Tsunade's summon gem from her bracelet. "We can't defeat it. It's too big, and too strong. But, we can seal it—," she raised the gem for them to see, "—with her help."

"You can summon the person inside the gem—?" Sora began; then he shook his head. "Hold on, you want to make someone here a jinchuuriki?"

She crossed her legs, lowered the gem, and rubbed the back of her neck. "Me, specifically. Honestly, I don't know what'd happen if we put such a mass amount of chakra in a magic user." Both hands laid down in her lap and she looked down.

"Look—the Akatsuki are already after me. We know they're after jinchuuriki, which means they're after the Three-tails. It'll be a lot easier to make sure they don't get their hands on it if one of us is a container." _And I'm already cursed . . . could this truly taint me more?_

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII were somber. Isaribi frowned. Ariel was perplexed, only partly certain what was going on.

Hikari took their silence as agreement. She twisted to stand. "I'll be fine. Naruto managed with it inside him for twelve years before he even found out he hosted the Fox. So I guess that means its presence would be minimal."

They nodded. "Do it," Sora said.

Isaribi grit her teeth. "How can you do that? Now I know you were lying. If you know what it's like to be treated like a monster, you wouldn't willingly make yourself one!"

Hikari had her palms together and fingers laced around the summon gem as if in prayer. She looked over her shoulder at the girl and gave a small smile. "I told you, Isaribi. Your appearance doesn't make you a monster. And containing the Three-tails—it won't make me one either. Only your actions can determine that."

The girl clicked her tongue and glared. "Tch!"

The blonde faced forward and relaxed her face. _The Cheshire Cat said that if you had a heart, you could use these gems to summon the person contained in them. _She closed her eyes and her lip brushed against her finger. _Hopefully, my incomplete and broken heart will be enough._

A multi-colored light emanated through the cracks of her fingers from the stone. A few feet away from her, smoke produced itself out of thin air. Some munny and lottery tickets rained among the smoke like confetti. A curvy figure could be made out in the center.

Hikari opened her eyes and smiled. "Granny!"

**End of Chapter Thirty-seven**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-eight: Search, Bind, and Lock

Briefly they explained the situation to her, and their plan to seal the Three-tailed Turtle inside Hikari. Tsunade listened and asked questions occasionally. Her expression was calculating, serious as she absorbed the information. She had her thumb on her chin and a finger covering her mouth.

When they finished, she lowered her hand, rested it on her hip, and spoke. "I'm telling you right away that I'm not sealing the Three-tailed Turtle inside anyone."

"But we—," started Hikari.

"The purpose of sealing Tailed Beasts in ninja was chiefly political; jinchuuriki were to be used as weapons, or deterrents. There is no need to do that here," the lady Hokage interrupted sternly. "Instead, we are going to seal the Three-tailed Turtle in another dimension."

* * *

My favorite part, without a doubt, is Sora trippin' out XD I love Sora, but I also love torturing him. Same with any character, really...

I'm actually very satisfied with this chapter. It is part two of three for the Atlantica arc, after which will be the third and final Coliseum visit! :D That visit will include two Naruto characters (completely canon, non-filler) and a surprise appearance by a Final Fantasy XIII character! (Wanna guess who? :P 'Cept you, narcotic-lullaby... 'cause you already know...)

Thanks to everyone who's continually reviewed-I absolutely love feedback. It provides incentive for writing :) **Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	38. Search, Bind, and Lock

Recappy From the Last Chappy: The blonde faced forward and relaxed her face. _The Cheshire Cat said that if you had a heart, you could use these gems to summon the person contained in them. _She closed her eyes and her lip brushed against her finger. _Hopefully, my incomplete and broken heart will be enough._

A multi-colored light emanated through the cracks of her fingers from the stone. A few feet away from her, smoke produced itself out of thin air. Some munny and lottery tickets rained among the smoke like confetti. A curvy figure could be made out in the center.

Hikari opened her eyes and smiled. "Granny!"

Chapter Twenty-eight: Search, Bind, and Lock

The Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade stood erect in the midst of mysteriously present munny and lottery tickets as a gentle breeze disturbed her low-hanging pigtails and green shrug. Her sexy, strappy heels were shoulder-width apart, and she had one hand on her hip.

She looked young and beautiful; her voluptuous curves made Sora blush. Hikari called her "Granny," yet she could have been someone's attractive mother at the most.

Everyone but the blondes gawked. _"G . . . granny"? How can someone who looks so young be—"GRANNY"?_

Tsunade leered, pulled back her fist, and lunged. "Three years and that's how you greet me? I'm no one's granny!"

Hikari did not have the chance to dodge, so she braced herself and took the hit. She was sent flying back about thirty feet, tumbling across the surface and managing to stay on top of the water. When she stopped rolling, she lifted herself onto one knee and took a moment to recover.

"My ribs aren't broken, so I know you're not serious," she said with an embarrassed smile. ". . . Granny."

A shadow set over the others' eyes. _Not serious? She hit you so hard you rolled over a dozen times!_

The Lady Hokage smiled and shielded her eyes from the sun. "It's good to see you. Who are your friends?"

Hikari stood and returned to them. "The boy is Sora, the duck is Donald, the dog is Goofy, the redhead is Ariel, the girl with the purple hair is Isaribi, and the sea lion is Red XIII." When she neared them, her expression turned serious. "It's a long story, but . . . we need your help, Granny."

Briefly they explained the situation to her, and their plan to seal the Three-tailed Turtle inside Hikari. Tsunade listened and asked questions occasionally. Her expression was calculating, serious as she absorbed the information. She had her thumb on her chin and a finger covering her mouth.

When they finished, she lowered her hand, rested it on her hip, and spoke. "I'm telling you right away that I'm not sealing the Three-tailed Turtle inside anyone."

"But we—," started Hikari.

"The purpose of sealing Tailed Beasts in ninja was chiefly political; jinchuuriki were to be used as weapons, or deterrents. There is no need to do that here," the lady Hokage interrupted sternly. With a sly smile, she added, "Instead, we are going to seal the Three-tailed Turtle in another dimension."

She was met with perplexed stares.

"How many chakra users are there here?"

"Three; just you, Isaribi, and me."

"We need four. Do you have another gem like mine to summon someone with? Preferably someone with precise chakra control."

Hikari unhooked the Byakugan gem from her bracelet. "I have Neji Hyuuga. I think the surname speaks for itself."

The Hokage smiled. "Perfect. One of you summon him." She turned to the magic users. "I'll need the five of you to go find the Three-tailed Turtle, and lure it here. I'll take us some time to set up this jutsu, but the sooner we get it, the better."

"Yes, ma'am!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy saluted; Ariel and Red XIII subsequently nodded.

The gem to summon Neji was handed to Sora. The brunette followed Hikari's example somewhat; he closed his hand over the stone, brought it to his chest, and closed his eyes. As the gem started glowing, a small pool of light appeared a few feet away. That pool grew, the light brightened, and out of it sprang forth an adolescent male spinning rapidly inside a sphere of blue chakra. The spinning slowed, the light dimmed, and the chakra dissipated until all that was left was the young man in a combat stance.

Neji was a year older than Hikari at sixteen. He had light skin, lavender-white eyes, and long brown hair that he tied back in a ponytail. His Leaf headband covered his forehead, and his long bangs hung over the sides of his face. He wore a white shirt with loose sleeves and a fastener on the right side of his chest with matching pants, a dark grey apron tied around his waist, and black zori.

He realized where he was and straightened; he noticed Tsunade and gave her a respectful nod. "Lady Hokage."

She returned the greeting. "Neji."

While Sora, Donald, Goofy, Ariel, and Red XIII left to do their part, Neji was briefed on the situation. Then, preparations for the Four Corner Barrier Seal began. Tsunade produced five scrolls and handed one to Hikari, Neji, and Isaribi. The fifth scroll was in the middle.

"There are three parts to this seal: 'search,' 'bind,' and 'lock.' Just follow my lead, and remain focused. Like I said, this requires great chakra control and concentration." She unrolled her scroll and placed it down in front of her. "For this part, you need a blood sample, like the Summoning Jutsu."

The four ninja bit their thumbs and drew them across the scroll, leaving a small line of blood behind. Tsunade performed a string of hand seals, and the others followed suit. The kanji that were on the scrolls glowed blue and extended to connect to one another. Around the fifth scroll, the writing formed a diamond shape with bisected corners. In the center, there was the kanji for "seal" in pink.

"Good. Everyone's concentrated? Then lift it—carefully."

The three subordinates complied. Along with the senior ninja, they lifted the markings directly off the page and the ground, their hands taking on the same blue glow. The space between the lines took on a light blue sheen, and the kanji in the center glowed pink. The center raised a little bit until the barrier resembled a small dome or large umbrella.

Slow and steady, they left the slab of land and walked on the surface of the water. They moved into open sea, where the Three-tailed Turtle was more likely to cross. Isaribi struggled to keep her concentration; she was not an official ninja, and her training was minimal, so her chakra control was not entirely refined—she barely had the precision to keep her corner of the jutsu up.

Isaribi abruptly fell into the water down to her ankles and yelled; she caught herself before she fell completely under and made the jutsu collapse. She trembled as she gathered her bearings, and Neji urged her to concentrate once more.

She nodded and lifted one foot at a time to climb out of her shallow submergence. Sweat accumulated at her temples and on the brows of everyone present. When they reached a wide enough area of open sea, they paused for a few moments.

Hikari's eyes never left the kanji at the top of the dome, having employed it as her focal point to aid her concentration. She addressed the lady Hokage. "Granny, are we really going to be able to capture the Three-tailed Turtle this way? It's huge, and this is pretty small. Shouldn't we cast a wider net?"

"I'm aware of that," she responded; being a former medical ninja, and the Fifth Hokage, this level of chakra precision came much more naturally to her, so she could regard Hikari without losing concentration. "The next step is to expand. The barrier will stretch if we all step back; the more in unison and symmetrically we move, the more stable it will be."

"Mm." They all nodded and stepped back, moving one foot at a time in uniform pace. Continuing to struggle a little with the perpetual movement, Isaribi's determined furrow in her brow deepened so she held onto her focus.

The area covered by their barrier was about the size of a high school football field when it displayed a reaction, and the party who pursued the Three-tailed Turtle surfaced outside of its radius. A large shadow manifested in the water, but did not extend passed the barrier's circumference; they had expanded it just enough.

"Alright. The Three-tailed Turtle is now bound within the confines of the barrier. The last step is to lower the barrier to the water's surface and commence sealing it away." She shifted to kneel. "On the count of—ugh!"

A green energy manifested around all four ninja and completely restricted their movement; everyone else was lifted from the water and found themselves in a similar situation, too. The only part of them they could fully move was their heads, but they could slightly shift their bodies, as if fighting rope.

Neji frowned. "What's this?"

Donald squawked. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

Hikari discontinued fighting the magic's hold, labeling it a futile situation, and twisted her head as far as it would go around her to try and find the source of the power. _Could it be Ursula? But . . . we saw her __**vanish**__ right before our eyes. . . ._

A sinister female voice cut through the air to them. "I can't let you go through with this pitiful sealing jutsu of yours. Banishment of a Tailed Beast would be a rather unforgiveable hindrance."

One of the small slabs of land lifted itself into the air, and a burst of chartreuse flame rose from its center. In wisps of darkness, a horned woman in dark robes and carrying a scepter stepped out. Her scarlet lips were curled in a dark smile as she looked at Sora.

The brunette's eyes widened as an unwell feeling rose in his stomach. Somehow, he felt he knew this woman's identity. "Wait a second. . . . Are you . . . Maleficent?"

She reacted with a complacent smirk. "We finally meet, O Keybearer. Dear Riku has told me so much about you." She raised her scepter and summoned two Pirate Heartless. "I did not come to visit, however. Heartless! Seize that girl!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII each reacted and struggled once more against the force constricting them, believing she meant Hikari. But the Heartless moved passed her to Isaribi. They took the purple-haired girl by her arms and dragged her away from her corner of the barrier, kicking and screaming; the magic still inflicting everyone else was no longer at play with her.

Goofy voiced the question that crossed the others' minds. "Is Isaribi a princess?"

Maleficent laughed as she looked down on the little girl. "Absolutely not! This little sea monster's heart is ripe with darkness. After all, she spent years at the side of my colleague, Ursula the sea witch." She raised her staff. "A quality befitting of a container for a tailed beast, wouldn't you agree? Hnhnhn."

Isaribi screamed in protest and tried to break free again. Tears welled in her eyes. "No! Don't! I don't—I don't want to be a monster anymore!" she sobbed. _"Please!"_

Hikari's eyes widened and she spoke urgently in Isaribi's defense. "Wait, stop! Don't put it in her. We already decided that if anyone was going to become a jinchuuriki, it would be me! You and the Akatsuki were after me already, right now you have me. Don't take her!"

The dark sorceress turned the blonde's way and stared with intense irritation. "Cease your pitiful groveling. I do not take orders from you! You have been far from useful or even interesting to me since you overcame heartlessness. If I were to do anything to you at this point, it would be eliminate you."

The blonde narrowed her eyes questioningly; sweat dampened the hair at her temples and her brow. _Huh? But . . . that completely contradicts what Kakuzu said! What . . . does that __**mean?**_

"I owe you no explanations," continued the villainess, and she turned her attention to Isaribi again. She raised her staff and both arms, thus allowing her robes to hang from her like the wings of a dragon. The wind picked up around them and the orb of her scepter radiated with a bright green glow.

Maleficent's cackle mixed with Isaribi's cries. "I am giving you a marvelous gift, child! The power of a jinchuuriki, the power of **darkness** is greater than any other power! Don't forget to say 'thank you' when I am finished!"

A dark energy encased Isaribi's chest as a similar energy appeared under the water's depths, around the Three-tailed Turtle. The corner of the barrier where Isaribi had been left an opening for a rapid flow of darkness and red chakra, encircled by seals colored of Maleficent's magic, to surge forth and pierce through Isaribi's chest.

The girl arched her back and screamed in agony. As darkness and chakra continually fed her chest, she suffered violent tremors, like she was being electrocuted. Her eyes bulged a little and her pupils constricted. Her veins started to pop out on her skin, and her hair was soaked with sweat. Her face reddened, like she was starting to run a fever.

Everyone else could only helplessly watch in horror. The stream looked like it would never end, no matter how quickly it surged. Hikari had to look away when her curse mark stung with sympathy; she had undergone similar feelings of pain when Orochimaru bit her.

After many long minutes, the stream finally ran its course and Isaribi had the Three-tailed Turtle in her—in chakra form. The dark energy around her chest collapsed in on itself, but the green energy remained directly over her chest, forming the mark of the seal. It glowed brighter one second and then faded the next.

Isaribi's eyes deadened. As they started to close, eye-bags started to form, like she had not slept in days. Her hair had shaken free of her ponytails. She was perspiring heavily, and inhaled a few shaky, deep breaths. She started to lower her head, and fainted.

Maleficent smirked and let the bottom of her staff touch rock again. She appeared to have hardly broken a sweat, despite using so much power.

Those who were not a part of the barrier jutsu began struggling once more against the magic that restrained them, bloodlust in their eyes; Sora was the sole exception, feeling an uncharacteristic dejection instead of the fiery spirit that would drive him to overcome his restraints.

His eyes were dark, and he hung his head. _Why can't I . . . save anyone?_

The Mistress of All Evil turned her attention to her captives. "Now . . . what do I do with you . . . ?" Humorously, she eyed Donald and Goofy. "Hnhn, I've heard dog is quite a decadent treat . . . and I do love _roast duck_. . . ." Her eyes fell on Sora and his Keyblade. "Ah, I know. . . . I will have you show me the whereabouts of the Keyhole."

She raised her free hand either to free Sora or cast additional magic, but she was distracted by a slip of paper that fluttered toward her and covered the orb. Plenty more sheets rose from the water, somehow unaffected by the wetness, and encased both the sorceress and her staff. They were like thousands of large petals carried by the wind, though their manipulator was invisible. The magic holding everyone was disabled, and those who were in the air fell back into the water.

Rage marked the sorceress's countenance, before it was covered by paper; only her mouth was left uncovered. The paper immobilized her. "Konan!"

Said Akatsuki member appeared in the corner of the barrier previously occupied by Isaribi. She upheld the jutsu in her place and moved Maleficent from her levitating rock (which subsequently fell back into place) to the inside of the barrier, causing another reaction.

Without prompting, the four shinobi crouched to touch the bottom of the barrier to the water and enacted the third step, "Lock," which filled it with light. There was a burst of green flame and screams of anger. The corners of the barrier left their hands and converged to one point, creating a sphere that collapsed in on itself. It shrank, and shrank, until it was completely gone, and there was a flash of kanji for "seal" that quickly disappeared.

The Heartless restraining the new jinchuuriki disappeared in corridors of darkness. Before Isaribi would fall into the water, Konan's paper wrapped around her like a cocoon, covering everything except her face and keeping her aloft.

Light enshrouded Tsunade and Neji; their availability as summons had run its course. The Hokage—who had been about to tell the Akatsuki member off—clicked her tongue, averted her eyes, and cursed while the Hyuuga frowned deeply; they both dissolved in light.

Hundreds of slips of paper hung in the empty space surrounding Hikari, Ariel, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII, threatening to capture them at any moment. They were all on the defensive (except Sora); Donald held his staff in front of him, ready to cast fire or wind magic; Goofy, in his turtle form, was ready to withdraw into his shell; Red XIII prepared his time magic; Ariel had her hands raised to perform magic; and Hikari had her hands close to one another to perform jutsu.

They took turns between watching the paper and watching Konan.

"Who are you?" Donald asked, narrowing his eyes at a specific paper that crossed in front of him; he followed it with his staff.

Goofy continued for him. "Are you the leader of the A-cats-key?"

"'Akatsuki,'" Red XIII corrected.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Red XIII," Goofy chuckled; then he turned serious. "Are you the leader of the Akatsuki?"

She regarded him without expression. "No. That's Pain. My name is Konan."

"Why did you do away with Maleficent?" asked the red sea lion. "Weren't she and the Akatsuki allies?"

"I don't question orders," was her simple reply.

"Are you going to try taking me, too?" Hikari asked, warily watching the paper and waiting for them to start attacking her. "We've already had a hand in three Akatsuki members' deaths. You should leave Isaribi and go before you become the fourth."

"Not this time." She recalled the excess slips of paper and gathered them behind her back in the shape of wings. She raised Isaribi to her waist. "You aren't my assignment, Hikari Uzumaki. You're Riku's." She opened a Corridor of Darkness behind her. "You should watch your back."

"But _why?_" Hikari cried in vain.

Without speaking another word, Konan took Isaribi with her in the Corridor of Darkness and quickly closed it behind her, barring from being followed.

Ariel's eyes were wide, confused, and troubled. "What . . . just happened?"

* * *

After the Akatsuki's victory, Donald transformed Hikari back into a mermaid, doing her the courtesy of saving her the humiliation of starfish patches and providing her the seaweed and fishnet version she had devised.

Nearly forgotten, the trident was found lying on one of the slabs of land near where Ursula had vanished. Ariel took responsibility for its care and carried it with her all the way back to Triton's palace, only to be redirected by her father to her grotto. The sea king told her the Keyhole was hidden within, and with the trident, she could reveal it for Sora to seal.

In front of the crest where the crystal trident fit, Ariel floated at the side of the trident and pointed its forked end toward the crest. Taking on a bright yellow glow, the trident levitated out of her hands and gently spun in place.

The trident and the crest resonated with one another. The water directly in front of the crest came to an apparent boil and glowed with a bright white light. Afore the curtain of bubbles, a glass window formed out of the light with a Keyhole in the center.

Sora's dejection had perpetuated, and he lingered by the perimeter of the grotto like a wallflower. He did not appear to have noticed the appearance of the Keyhole, and the presence of the Keyblade in his hand felt so natural to him he did not take note of its coming without his summoning it.

Hikari nudged him with her elbow and he lifted his head. Expressionless, he swam in front of the Keyhole, lifted the Keyblade, and let it perform its duty. The Keyblade shot a beam of light connecting it to the Keyhole and locked it. Even when the light beam and the Keyhole disappeared, he kept the Keyblade raised.

Usually when he heard that "click," he felt satisfied. It meant that their work in that world was done, all was resolved, and it usually meant that they had "won." It usually meant they had defeated a villain, a Heartless, or found resolution to conflict.

Yet he could only think of Kairi, Alice, Gaara and Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Isaribi. He had sealed six Keyholes, but failed to save six people, one of them being a very important person who, from what he heard from Riku, may have lost her heart and the others having been captured by the enemy.

He was a failure. Even his successes were not his; they were the Keyblade's. It did all the work, and he was simply the dummy carrying it.

Ariel broke the somber silence by approaching Sora. The trident had been set aside so her unoccupied hands fidgeted a little; her voice also sounded tentative. "Tell me, Sora. Your world. What's it like?"

Sora reacted a little, and dismissed the Keyblade, but he was not out of his funk. "Oh, about that. . . . Sorry for lying to you."

She chuckled. "It's okay." Whimsically, she swam up toward the skylight. "Besides, if you can travel to other worlds, maybe I can, too. So many places I want to see, I know I'll get their someday." The light of the sun shining through the sea glittered in her dreamer's blue eyes as she reached out. "I'll find a way, somehow. I'm sure of it."

By the entrance of the grotto, Sebastian was lamenting her resolve. "Well, if you find it, leave me out of it."

Hikari swam up to Ariel's side. "As much as we'd like to help you realize that dream, our journey isn't over. You saw what happened to Isaribi. Now that the Keyhole's sealed, we have to go. Tell Triton we said goodbye and get back to the palace safely."

She nodded. "I will. Thank you—," she looked down at everyone, "—all of you—for helping me get the trident back and stop Ursula." Her eyes fell on Sora, to whom gratitude presently fell on deaf ears as he was absorbed in his own mind. "I hope Sora cheers up soon."

"No worries," the blonde replied. "He usually bounces back pretty quick."

* * *

The gang all returned to the Gummi Ship and reverted to their original forms. Their muscles were so fatigued from excessive swimming, they found it hard to move without experiencing pain; pain that was slightly alleviated with the consumption of hi-potions.

Sora went straight to the back of the Gummi and his bunk while Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII raided the kitchen, absolutely ravenous. Hikari, though also hungry, sat in the pilot's seat to determine their next destination first. Jiminy stood on the dash.

The kunoichi pointed at an unidentified world close to Atlantica. "Well, I guess this one would be next logical world to visit."

Then, Chip and Dale's countenances appeared on the screen. "There's another tournament being held at the Coliseum tomorrow!" said the former.

The latter continued. "Yup, and it looks like it'll be the last one for a while."

"We did say we'd take care of Hades during the next tournament. . . ."

"Yes, you did," Jiminy piped up, taking out his journal. "I have it written right here in my journal, mm-hmm. Hades always acts during a tournament, so it's best to catch him then. We have to go to the Coliseum."

She nodded. "Mm. Well, Mr. Junior Hero will be happy. He loves participating in tournaments." She touched Olympus Coliseum on the map's screen, highlighting it in purple. Prior to activating the warp, however, she stood. "We'll leave in a little bit. First thing's first: food."

Jiminy hopped up onto her shoulder and rode her to the kitchen.

* * *

Back in Hollow Bastion, the leader of the Akatsuki and his largely taciturn partner met in the castle's grand hall. Isaribi, still unconscious and wrapped in paper, lied on the floor.

The ceiling was high and curved. The floor was covered in a long blue carpet with a deep burgundy color around the edges and a Heartless emblem in the center. Cauldrons with silver bottoms, gold basins, and spikes at the rim lined the rug near the walls, nine on each side. The sole light in the room came from gentle blue flame in fourteen of the cauldrons.

Next to each cauldron, inside the wall, were closet-sized glass cases. The openings were shaped like irregular pentagons. Each of them were tall enough for even extremely tall persons, though not so wide to comfortably accommodate someone too far beyond average build.

Most of the cases housed persons in sleep stasis; these were the only cases that were closed and had lit cauldrons in front of them. On the left side, seven of the nine cases were occupied by beautiful maidens, including Alice, Jasmine, and Pocahontas; they were lined up in order of when they were caught. On the other side, jinchuuriki filled the cases in order of the number of tails possessed by the bijuu they carried; Gaara was in the first case, Yuugito in the second, and Naruto slept in the ninth.

Konan raised Isaribi from the floor and directed her to the third case. She twisted her upright, backed her inside the case, and let her lean against the back as the slips of paper fell away from her form and returned to the Akatsuki female.

The cauldron in front of Isaribi's case lit up with blue flame, and a sheet of glass appeared in front of her; she stood upright.

"Good work, Konan," Pain said.

She regarded him in non-verbal acceptance.

A vehement burst of green flame at the end of the hall, at the foot of some stairs, interrupted the moment. The two Akatsuki whipped around toward the source, but their faces were as expressionless as ever. Behind the flame stood Maleficent, but her body was translucent; she was only able to send some of her power.

Her eyes burned with rage. "You poor, simple fools. You thought you could do away with ME! Me, the Mistress of ALL EVIL?"

"And it appears we have succeeded," Pain answered. "You would be here if you could return; your magic only allowed you a transmission." He lowered his head very slightly when the hologram nearly disappeared. "And even that will only be temporary."

Her eyes widened, and her pupils and irises were smoldering black circles on her sclera. "My return is imminent. Kingdom Hearts will be _mine!_ I will have my revenge against you, as well as the Keybearer and his _lackeys!_"

Almost before she finished her words, the hologram was consumed in flame and disappeared, creating a flash of green that briefly filled the room. The dark sorceress's sinister laughter lingered in the grand hall, echoing until it dwindled to a decrescendo.

Pain and Konan were unfazed; their gazes were perpetually passive.

**End of Chapter Thirty-eight**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-nine: A Reason to Smile 

He was something of a spectacle, wearing a great degree of makeup for a man—colored purple, no less. Roughly eighteen years old, he stood tall over Donald at 175 centimeters. His eyes were small, black, and beady. His hair was short, a little spiky, and brown. He wore a black full-body suit, black fingerless gloves, black zori, and bandages around his ankles. He had three scrolls attached to his back.

An angry expression created wrinkles in his violet makeup as he held Donald by the collar. "Say that again, you mutated chicken!"

Donald flailed and quacked irately. "I'm a DUCK! You want a piece of me!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	39. A Reason to Smile

Recappy From the Last Chappy: In Atlantica, the gang encountered Maleficent. She was banished to another dimension by Konan, but not before Isaribi was made into the third jinchuuriki. Sora was already feeling discouraged after he had a hallucination where Kairi not only berated him, but turned into a Heartless! Now, the gang sets off to the Olympus Coliseum, hoping to regain Sora's confidence.

Chapter Thirty-nine: A Reason to Smile

"Maleficent is dead."

The three words resounded through the occupied space of Villain's Vale. Pain, Konan, Riku, Hades, and what remained of the Akatsuki and Maleficent's allies were gathered; whispers broke among the members of the villainous alliance.

Riku, who stood near Hades, had wide eyes and a frown. Maleficent had taken him in when he appeared in the Rising Falls of Hollow Bastion, and while he did not feel a special connection to her, she was the woman who promised to help him save Kairi; provided, this was in exchange for his helping her, but she could not help him if she was dead.

Next to him, Hades appeared to be crestfallen. Then, he curled his hands into fists.

"She was slain by the Keybearer and his friends, and failed to overcome the darkness. Let us have a moment of silence for our fallen member," Pain continued.

As a moment of quiet commenced, Hades silently fumed. His hands trembled as his skin turned scarlet, and his hair burned bright yellow. Then, suddenly, he roared, and the room filled with a violent burst of flame. In a flash, Hades was gone.

Everyone regarded the space where he had stood, some covered in ash. Konan's face was soft, yet did not yield a discernible emotion.

"The rumors about Hades and Maleficent were true, then," Pain noted quietly.

The female Akatsuki member's face did not change.

* * *

Fuel gauge: full. Engine: running smoothly. Wings: top of the line. Rockets boosters: recently replaced. Warp feature: still intact. Water damage: nil, thanks to Donald's magic. Gear: fly. All systems for the Gummi ship should have been ago, yet the ship was resistant and stayed in place.

Hikari drummed her fingers on the dash, reading each gauge over and over, wondering soon whether she would have to physically look inside the vehicle to discern the problem. Then, her eyes fell on the "Smiles" gauge on the far right of the screen. It looked similar to a thermometer, the measuring device being vertical and a smiling face taking the place of the bulb at the bottom. It was nearly empty.

She quirked a brow and whispered, "Since when don't we have enough smiles?"

She turned her chair and saw Donald and Goofy smiling so widely that their mouth muscles were straining. Red XIII was also trying, even wagging his tail a little. Jiminy grinned as well.

Sora, on the other hand, did not.

His negativity radiated through the ship, a dark, invisible aura that drowned out the smiles, so far as the "Smiles" gauge was concerned. He sat slumped in his chair with his cheek in his hand. He stared out the window with a dead gaze. His hair appeared to be just a little less spiky, covered by the hood of his small jacket, and cast a shadow over his little boy blues.

Hikari closed her mouth. _All he's missing is a corner. . . . Even after some rest, he still hasn't perked up._ "Sora! The Gummi's not going to go anywhere if you don't smile." She crossed her arms and curled her lip, adding lightly, "Whatever happened to 'smiling double' for me?"

He did not answer.

Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII turned to him; the duck spoke. "Sora?" He frowned with his eyes—yet still strained a smile, so as to sustain the gauge if only a smidgen—and put his wings on his hips. He waddled with Goofy to the brunette and the two stood on either side of him.

He and Goofy reached a finger into his inner cheeks and forced his mouth to grin. "Wak! We said 'no sad faces!'"

"Hey! Cut it out!" the boy protested; he struggled minutely.

Watching this, Hikari snorted and turned forward, a small yet genuine smile on her face. The gauge was now high enough to leave. She pressed the "Warp" option under the Coliseum's picture on the screen, initiating the sequence. "Keep him like that; brace yourselves!"

The Gummi was encased in a bright violet light. Parts of their body began to tingle and "fall asleep" exactly like before. Travel was instant, and in a matter of seconds, Hikari was landing the Gummi ship outside the Coliseum's gates.

Donald and Goofy giggled as they continued holding Sora's smile, absolutely oblivious to the fact that he was not enjoying the light razzing—not one bit. Frustration and even anger replaced his pall as he fought against them.

When Hikari had the Gummi parked and turned off, he managed to fling the mage and the knight's hands off him. "I SAID TO STOP!" He stood and stalked out of the cockpit without looking back. He left the door wide open, so they saw his pathetic gait resulting from his "sleeping" limbs.

The interior of the ship was silent as its occupants stared at the exit. No longer were they jovial; their expressions were a mix of confusion and concern.

Hikari closed her mouth in a relaxed frown and furrowed her brow. She looked forward, stood, stretched, and flexed, looking to recirculate the blood. "Donald, Goofy, you guys follow him. Red XIII and I'll sign us all up for the tournament. . . . See if you guys can figure out what's going on, cheer him up a little. It'd be pretty bad if he were distracted during the fighting."

"Are you going to enter this time, Hiki?" asked Goofy.

"Sora was always pretty disappointed when you didn't, before," Donald pointed out.

She averted her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck. "I know. Before, though, the tournament was just a game. When I didn't have the ability to heal myself in case I got hurt, it seemed pointless, even illogical to take part. Not to mention, extra fighting isn't really my thing. But this time, we're doing it to go after Hades, and I have Granny's gem. I think it's time I participated. All for one, isn't that right?"

The duo smiled and exited the Gummi with Jiminy in tow (he was more interested in documenting the goings-on with Sora than the sign-ups.) Hikari and Red XIII shortly followed.

* * *

Finding Sora did not take long. He was near the entrance to the Coliseum's lobby, sitting with his knees up to his chest, at the side of the steps. Whether it was due to the shadow cast by the golden Trojan statue, or radiating negativity off his person, the area was dark.

Donald and Goofy stood just outside the shadow, shifting uncomfortably. The latter's hands fidgeted as he looked at the duck; said duck had his arms crossed and was looking everywhere but at Sora. The aura was rather off-putting.

Hikari and Red XIII passed by and walked up the steps to the lobby's doors. The blonde reached for the handle, but looked over her shoulder at the duck and dog; they gave her anxious grins and waved, reassuring her of their ability to complete the task set for them. She opened the door, let Red XIII inside, and entered the building.

They turned back to the Keybearer. At a loss for words, Donald continued mulling over ideas while Goofy appeared to have some prepared. He stepped forward, crossing into the shadow. "Uh, Sora—"

Abruptly, a small dark portal—the type from which Heartless spawned—opened near the boy and produced a rare form of the Stygian beings. About the size of a small child, it had a white body bearing a familiar emblem on its chest and pointy arms with indistinct hands. It looked like it had a small red cap on its head with black swirls above its eyes.

Almost cute, it stood in front of Sora and touched its chin as it gazed at the world around it in childish wonder. Unlike other Heartless, it did not appear to be on the prowl.

"A-hyuck!" exclaimed Goofy. "Is it just me, or did that look like it came from Sora?"

Jiminy hopped up onto his shoulder. "Heartless don't usually show up outside the arena, here," he said. Humming shortly, he opened his journal. "This is a White Mushroom. They're the only kind of Heartless that don't attack folk. They're friendly!"

The White Mushroom reacted to the travelers' presence and approached, slightly swaying as it walked.

Donald cast a dubious stare its way and procured his staff, stepping closer. "Heartless aren't friendly!" He stood in front of the Heartless and motioned at it. "Shoo, Heartless! Go away!"

The Mushroom touched its chin, contemplating the request. Then, it crossed its arms and shivered, as if cold.

Donald raised his staff and unleashed a single fire projectile. "Fire!"

The flame licked the Mushroom's skin, but instead of disappearing (or taking visible damage), it jumped for joy.

Donald, perplexed, screwed up his face and shifted back a bit. "What!?"

"White Mushrooms like to play charades," Jiminy explained. "When they shiver like that, that means 'I'm cold,' and so they want you to cast 'Fire' to warm them up! If you guess three in a row right, they'll give you a gift."

"I don't care about the gift, I just want it gone! Thunder!"

A few lightning bolts hit the Mushroom. Unfortunately for Donald, that was the exact spell the Heartless mimed for; resembling a candle, it had been hunched over with a small flame over its head. It danced again and produced its next move while Donald's anger grew.

Its third action was to lie on the ground and dramatically reach out, like it was dying a slow, painful, and pathetic death.

Goofy jumped up with an erect finger. "A-hyuck! I got it! Cast 'Cure!'"

Donald screwed up his face again. "Cure!?"

Although he did not chant the spell's name with intention of casting it, a green light glowed from his staff and some healing herbs, as well as that same light, appeared around the White Mushroom. "Wait!"

Jubilant, the Heartless jumped and threw small, transparent spheres—the same yielded by disturbed souls in the Underworld—up into the air and allowed them to rain down on everyone. Among those spheres was a small box colored blue and yellow that bounced off Sora's head and landed next to him.

He raised his head a little, but ultimately reverted to his "emo" persona and continued emitting "emo rays." Another White Mushroom appeared to feed off the negativity.

"Waaaaak!" Donald saw red, and the color presented itself in his feathers as he fired random spells at both Heartless. Meanwhile, Goofy walked over to where the small box landed and picked it up. He opened it and grinned.

Lying inside was a star-shaped pendant made of stained glass. It was comprised of five pieces with varying shades of orange to yellow, and a gold crest in the center that resembled a heart at the head of a cross. It hung from a brown cord that also wove through the prices and held them together. The glass was framed by metal.

"It's purty!" he chuckled. "Hey, Dona—gawrsh. . . ."

Dozens of White Mushrooms surrounded the duck, his blue cap a blue dot in a sea of red (not to mention askew.) He sat on the ground with his legs stretched out and a severely paroxysmal expression marking his countenance. He was also sweating and had his staff in his lap; he had expended all the magic he could perform without supplement.

Amidst his spell-casting, he made a few more of the White Mushrooms happy, so they were throwing more spheres—which rained on Donald and were absorbed by him—and a few more treasures. Goofy picked them up one by one, gathering them into a bushel in his arm.

A pair of young adults were passing by, heading for the Coliseum, and one of the treasures was tossed in their direction. Somewhat heavy, the box fell directly on the boy's head and bounced off. He stopped in his tracks, removed a black cat-eared hood, and rubbed his scalp. "What the hell!"

He turned his head toward Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the White Mushrooms. "Who threw that?"

Donald rolled his eyes. "Oh brother. . . ."

* * *

Hikari closed the lobby's door behind her and spoke quietly to Red XIII. "They'll get him smiling in no time, right? I mean, even if they are boneheads, and can't get to the bottom of things, they're an endearing kind of stupid. _Something_ they do or say should lift his spirits."

"I cannot say," replied the quadraped. "Sora looks like the kind of boy whose depression doesn't remain for long, but he has lost a lot, and has not truly dealt with it. He's an optimist, but so many losses are sure to take their toll."

The blonde closed her mouth in a thin line and averted her eyes. "Right. . . . Only natural to feel discouraged, I guess." She lowered her head and flexed her hands. "It's just weird. For the most part, he's been cheerful. He _always_ finds a reason to smile. Like you said, he's an optimist. I just . . . don't really know what I can do for him, so I hope they can take care of it."

"You've said he likes competition. This tournament may be all he needs. Help him to victory."

She curled her lip in a small smile and nodded. The both of them then continued further into the room. Phil was toward the back, standing on a pedestal and fixing a sign on the wall, likely containing rules. His back was toward them.

"Hey, Phil," greeted the kunoichi.

The satyr jumped a little. "What have I said about sneaking up on me! Geez, Herc—" He turned and realized it was not Hercules behind him; he saw an attractive, young, blonde girl, and his demeanor changed immediately. He licked his hand and slicked back his hair (what was left of it, that is.)

A questioning look crossed the blonde's face.

"Sorry, Gorgeous, I thought you was someone else." He looked her up and down. "So, did you want to sign up for the tournament, or is it true that blondes have more fun, and you're here for some of _this?_" He gestured to his body.

Hikari stiffened and moved her foot back, almost ready to put miles between she and the satyr; Red XIII also appeared quite baffled. She narrowed her eyes inquisitively and wondered if Phil had perhaps rammed his horns into a pedestal one too many times when she realized her appearance had changed almost completely since she, Sora, Donald, and Goofy's last visit.

_I'm not even wearing the same style of clothes as before. Since my skin changed, and my hair . . . if he didn't really look at me before, didn't pay close attention to the shape of my face or anything, he might not recognize me now. . . ._

She shifted uncomfortably. _What do I __**say?**__ I never thought about how I'd explain my looks changing. . . ._ She broke into a small sweat and rubbed the back of her head; her shoulders were tense. _I . . . didn't really expect anyone to hit on me, either._ "I'm here for the games, Phil, and . . . my heart belongs to someone else.

"I dyed my hair, and gained some color in my skin, so that's probably why you don't recognize me. I'm Hikari Uzumaki. Hiki? I'm with the Junior Heroes Sora, Donald, and Goofy." She moved her hands behind her and laced her fingers.

His jaw dropped. "The creepy dame with the soulless eyes!?"

Hikari closed her mouth. _I don't know which one is more discouraging. . . . "Soulless" or "creepy."_ "Yeah . . . that's me." She motioned to her companion. "This is Red XIII. He joined the party shortly after our last visit." She then turned to Red XIII and motioned to the satyr. "This is Phil. He trains heroes and runs the games."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Phil turned to Hikari. "Hey, no hard feelings on the 'creepy dame'-thing, alright? And the uh, flirting . . . unless you're into it." He winked, looking hopeful.

She bristled and her hands appeared by her sides. "My heart belongs to someone else, like I said. I'm also a little young for you, don't you think? Eheh. . . . Besides that, we're square. Can I see the sign-ups scroll? That's why we're here." She pulled out her entry pass for him to see.

He did not bother to look at it, though; his head was turned the other way, and he appeared disappointed and/or annoyed. Lazily he pointed at the wall opposite of them. Most of it was taken over by a large purple scroll with a pedestal below hosting a quill and a bottle of ink. At the top of the banner, there was a picture of Hades.

"Three words: 'stiff' and 'competition.' Hades runs the show this time around; it's his Cup. It ain't gonna be no cakewalk this time around."

Hikari walked over to the scroll and laced her fingers behind her as she dawdled passed and read the names. Plenty of the solitary combatants had entered the tournament under their own name or a title—Behemoth, Cerberus, the Hero (who was not Hercules, but a man named "Snow")—but team names were not out of the mix—Heartless, more likely than not.

_I doubt Cerberus is the big ticket enemy, since he failed the first time, but there aren't too many stand-out participants. Most are teams of Heartless, who probably got entry passes from Hades to wear us down, but I doubt they're his trump card. . . ._

She reached the end of the scroll and tightened her mouth. _I guess I'm not going to figure it out by just looking at a bunch of names, am I? Is he even going to make a move without Hercules participating . . . ?Actually, Hades did send Cloud after Sora__—__he could've planted someone here, knowing we'd participate._

"Hey, Phil. Is there a team or individual we should beware of? Someone you think might be in Hades' favor, or would give us trouble?"

He snorted. "Yeah. Everyone!" He jumped down from the pedestal. "Listen, I'm rootin' for the kid. He's only a Junior Hero, but he's got a lot of spunk. But with Hades runnin' the show, he could have all the seeds he wants in the tournament. That means a lot of these guys will be stronger than Cerberus.

"Tell the squirt I'm available if he wants to get some training in before the first round. Sign-ups are closin' soon, so get your names on there." He departed. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Phil." She continued to stare at the scroll.

Quietly, she spoke to Red XIII and touched her lip thoughtfully. "Maleficent was controlling the Heartless when she appeared in Atlantica, wasn't she? I think maybe Ursula was, too. And Maleficent called Ursula her 'colleague.' . . .

"If Hades is the one giving entry passes to the Heartless, do you think he could also be allied with Maleficent and the Akatsuki?"

"A reasonable deduction," he commented. "Do you believe we can get information from him? Such as the location of their asylum?"

"Maybe. . . ." She lowered her hand and picked up the quill. "But it means if he's actually controlling the Heartless, then that means ALL of these seeds could be designed to hurt Sora." She added "Team Sora" to the roster.

* * *

When Hikari and Red XIII returned outside, they sighted something most unexpected. White Mushrooms filled nearly every nook and cranny of the square, save for portions occupied by the world's denizens, temporary or otherwise. They appeared to gather around Donald and an unidentified young man.

He was something of a spectacle, wearing a great degree of makeup for a man—colored purple, no less. Roughly eighteen years old, he stood tall over Donald at 175 centimeters. His eyes were small, black, and beady. His hair was short, a little spiky, and brown. He wore a black full-body suit, black fingerless gloves, black zori, and bandages around his ankles. He had three scrolls attached to his back.

An angry expression created wrinkles in his violet makeup as he held Donald by the collar. "Say that again, you mutated chicken!"

Donald flailed and quacked irately. "I'm a DUCK! You want a piece of me!?"

"Like there's a big difference." The boy pulled his fist back. "You'll be 'chicken' when I'm done with you!" He shifted his weight to throw a punch, but a White Mushroom jumped and glomped his elbow, distracting him. "What the hell is up with these things?"

Standing off to the side, a bored nineteen-year-old girl looked on with a slightly irritated visage. She had sandy blonde hair pulled into four full-bodied ponytails and short bangs parted in the middle over a black hitaiate bearing an hourglass symbol. Her eyes were without pupils and colored dark green. Her manicured hands—clad in black fingerless wrist-gloves—rested on her hip. She wore a sleeveless kimono-style top over some short-sleeved, off-the-shoulder fishnet. Over that top, she wore a loose, but short, silver tank-top with a red sash tied around her waist. A large steel fan was strapped to her back with that sash. Additional fishnet covered her left upper thigh and right lower leg, leading into black zori.

She shifted her weight to her right and crossed her arms. "This has gone on long enough, Kankurou. Finish it and let's go."

The boy named "Kankurou" clicked his tongue and glanced at the kunoichi from the corner of his eye. "Just a minute, Temari. These twerps still haven't learned their lesson." He turned his attention back to Donald.

Hikari reacted to the names of the "strangers" and quickly walked down the vestibule's steps. _That proves it. I thought those two seemed familiar, and I recognized the Sand symbol on her forehead protector. I wonder if they'll remember me?_

"Wait, Kankurou!" She tripped over a few White Mushrooms, but caught the brunette's wrist before he could complete his swing into the duck's beak. "Haven't changed, I see. Still annoyed by someone smaller or younger than you, still quick to beat someone up, the works. Can't really let you do that to him, even though he's pretty much a pile of useless feathers. Protect your comrades, and all that."

Donald squawked disapproval, only to be dropped as the boy redirected his attention to the blonde. He tore his wrist out of her hold, though she had not been trying to seize him in the first place. "What's your deal? Shouldn't butt into other people's maters. How do you think you know me? Sure as hell don't know you."

Temari approached his side. "She has chakra, so she's from our world. What village are you from?"

"Konoha," she answered simply. "The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Three years ago, part three of the Chuunin Exams. I know it's been a long time, and we didn't have much to do with each other. We know each other through our siblings. You're Gaara's older brother and sister, right?"

Their eyes widened a little. Three years ago, part three of the Chuunin Exams; the attempted destruction of the Leaf, shortly before the apocalypse of their entire world. As the Sand Siblings were all a team, Temari and Kankurou were also a part of the plot to take down the village; they were to make certain that Gaara's transformation into the Shukaku went swimmingly.

Temari had tried to block out most of the reverie. Originally, the transformation had been interrupted, and Gaara needed to gather his bearings. She and Kankurou helped him flee, but they were pursued. While Kankurou held back one pursuant, she and Gaara had been caught by Team Seven.

The order of occurrence was fuzzy to her memory, but she remembered they were high in the treetops. Sakura was pinned to the trunk by a dismembered hand made of sand; slowly it crushed her, threatening death. Sasuke had tried to use Chidori for the third time that day, and overexerted himself; he lied on a branch, unable to move, with black markings on his skin. Gaara—an imposing and devilish demon at this time—was half-transformed into a grotesque monster; she tried to block the image from her mind.

_I couldn't stand seeing Shukaku. He always made my stomach churn. I remember covering my ears, leaning back against the tree, and sinking down to the branch. For some reason, I couldn't shut my eyes, so I bowed my head. To my right I saw a girl with blonde hair, watery grey eyes, and blood caking her chin. She knelt on a branch as she held her stomach, and she was bruised._

"You're his sister, Naruto Uzumaki's," Temari remembered. "He called you 'hick-something.'"

Hikari crossed her arms behind her back. "Call me 'Hiki.' My real names 'Hikari,' though. Temari and Kankurou, right?"

Kankurou crossed his arms and looked her over, still mildly irritated. "I don't remember you. You flunk out of the Exams early on or something?"

"Didn't participate. My teacher thought my squad wasn't ready."

He and Temari snorted. "What are you doing in a place like this, then? This isn't kid's stuff," he said.

"Good thing I'm not a kid," the Uzumaki retorted. "The five of us are going to compete too. It's sort of part of our mission."

The two sand ninja raised inquisitive brows while Donald squawked, "Meddli—!" Before he could get a word out, however, Hikari reached over and closed his beak.

_But they're __**involved, **_she thought. _Gaara is their little brother. I don't know what their relationship is like, since he's a jinchuuriki, and they haven't mentioned him yet, but . . . shouldn't they know what happened to him? I wonder if they've been looking for him._

A silence befell the group as she pondered. Temari and Kankurou seemed to respect the need for secrecy when it came to mission details, and did not pry. Without a Village Hidden in the Sand, they did not have an allegiance; it did not truly matter what the mission was, because it would not be a threat.

Temari rested a hand on her hip and looked off into space. "We wanted to thank Naruto, after what he did for Gaara—for all of us." She looked at Hikari and smiled. "Your brother has an uncanny ability to change people."

Kankurou chimed in. "Our brother was a monster before he fought Naruto. Every day we were walking on egg shells, trying to avoid his wrath. He had no concept of family or compassion. But meeting another jinchuuriki, who fought for others instead of himself, changed him. We didn't have to be afraid anymore."

"He stopped threatening to kill us, his face softened, and his general demeanor just became . . . gentle." She looked down and appeared saddened. "But unfortunately, we didn't get to know this new 'Gaara' for long. We've been looking for him among the worlds, but so far . . . nothing." She raised her stare at Hikari again. "Do you know anything about what's become of our brother?"

Sora lifted his head a little.

Hikari closed her mouth and fidgeted. She glanced back at Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII; their expressions were of pity. Sensing no dissent, she breathed in and started to tell them about the events of Agrabah. "I'm sorry. . . ."

When the tale was complete, both siblings were horrified. Frozen for full minutes, their features were disturbed only by a light breeze.

"He was captured by the Akatsuki . . . ," the sandy-haired kunoichi whispered.

Kankurou clenched his fists. "Damn it, we were in Agrabah! We just missed him."

The Konoha kunoichi furrowed her brow and held her hands behind her. "I'm . . . I'm sorry. . . . If we hadn't let the Akatsuki split us up like that, maybe we could've done something. By the time we finished fighting one, though . . . I was delirious from poison and the other guy was pulling Gaara into a dark portal. We had our hands full. . . ."

"You did what you could," Temari insisted. "We don't blame you. You said Naruto's in the same situation; you must be worried as well."

Unnoticed by the group, a few of the White Mushrooms disappeared; Sora sat up a little straighter, and released his legs.

The Konoha shinobi nodded.

"Just promise not to give up," Kankurou added. "If we have anything on the Akatsuki, we'll let you know. Also . . . ," he smirked, ". . . don't cry when we wipe the floor with you during the tournament."

Donald yelled at their backs as they strode toward the vestibule. "We won't be the ones crying!"

Hikari smiled at the Disney Castle recruits; Goofy also wore a determined countenance. She crossed her arms. "You two sure are fired up. Can't exactly say the same for Sora, though." A White Mushroom latched onto her leg. "Now will someone tell me where all these Heartless came from?"

They exchanged guilty looks. Goofy then innocently averted his eyes while Donald offered a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

The first rounds of the tournament had begun. Team Sora stood on the sidelines, awaiting their turn. Current participants included a squad of Heartless and a man who seemed to switch between fighting with his fists and blocking with a "STEELGUARD!"

In the stands, people cheered on this man; few were ever on the side of the Heartless. The allegiance of the White Mushrooms, who occupied the front row of the audience, was difficult to discern. They stared blankly around themselves, drinking in the setting; some waved their arms freely in the air.

Donald and Goofy sat on a bench while Red XIII rested next to it. Sora stood nearby, still consumed in his head. Hikari was closer to the match with her arms crossed, actively studying the moves of potential opponents.

When she saw that the man was down to the last few Heartless, she glanced Sora's way. His despondency perpetuated. His stare was pensive, and his hands hung loosely at his sides. He was not quite standing straight. However, she was glad to see he was no longer curled up in a corner.

She bit her lip and averted her eyes. _Something. . . . There has to be something. . . ._

Hesitantly, she approached the Keybearer's side. Since his head was hung, she moved her hands behind her and leaned forward a little to look directly into his face. He responded by lifting by his head and looking at her; he made a minute, inquisitive sound.

"Um. . . ." She closed her mouth, blushed, and looked down. Who was she to console someone? Providing succor had never been a part of her skillset. Her brother was the bright one, the optimistic one; he would be comforting her. _I could never figure out how he did it. . . ._

_Say __**something**__—you have his attention now!_ She abruptly straightened, bringing him to lift his head as well. She swallowed. _Just . . . be honest._

Taking in a deep breath, she finally found a few words. "The day we met, I said I don't smile unless there's a reason to, and that you'd have to smile twice for me. Maybe now . . . you need me to smile twice for you. But Sora . . . there is _always_ a reason to smile, even if you don't know it right away. . . . You've taught me that—"

Rejoice of the masses broke her flow, and her face reddened. She flicked her attention to the arena, where the man bathed in the applause, and then returned it to Sora. They were next, so she tried to wrap it up. "Anyway . . . just . . . ," she punched his arm lightly, "look alive out there!"

Too embarrassed to wait for a reply, she scurried into the area behind Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII. Sora simply watched her back. "A reason to smile?"

Team Sora's opponents had already gathered at the other side. At his friends' beckoning, the Keybearer jogged to their side, passing the victor of the previous match.

The man was six-foot-eleven and rather muscular. His light blonde hair was swept back yet some still hung on either side of his face, leaving his ears exposed. The hem of his unbuttoned, dark grey trench coat was frayed, and his sleeves looked like they had been torn before his elbows. A red V-neck exposed some of his chest and a silver necklace. He also wore baggy black pants that tucked into grey boots, and leather gloves with zippers on the back of his hand. He did not carry an obvious weapon.

He sauntered through the corridor with a satisfied grin in his blonde stubble. Shadows swallowed his large form. He squinted, soon finding difficulty seeing. "They really should put some lights in here. . . ."

Suddenly, a small blue flame appeared close by, giving light to Hades' sinister frame; he was leaning against the wall and wore a sinister carnivorous grin.

The man stopped walking and was almost in a defensive position. "Who are you?"

Hades stepped away from the wall, his fingertips touching. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax there, Mr. Hero. Name's Hades. God of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, composer of these games—hah, credentials. Don't let them intimidate you."

The Hero sized him up, a tad suspicious. "Snow. Snow Villiers." He crossed his arms. "What business does the 'Lord of the Dead' have with the living?"

The god's lip curled. "I've got a job for you."

**End of Chapter Thirty-nine**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty: Snowstorm

Temari and Kankurou were already waiting at one end of the arena. The kunoichi had freed the fan from the sash and casually leaned on it while the other hand rested on her hip. The puppeteer simply had his arms crossed. Both wore cocky smirks as Snow dawdled into the arena, punching his hand with his fist.

"He is a handsome one," she commented. "I almost feel sorry we're going to break him."

Kankurou snorted and started up a little smack talk. "Hey, 'Snowflake.' Don't look so cocky going up against two shinobi. I don't know why you call yourself 'the Hero,' but we sure haven't seen anything special."

"The name's 'Snow,'" the man corrected. He smirked, stepped forward, and raised his arm in front of his face, fist closed. "Besides, I'm not cocky . . . I'm confident." He lowered his arm as the sound signaling the start of the match blared. "Nothing can penetrate my . . . STEELGUARD!"

* * *

Heya! So... how've ya been? I know, it's been over a month since my last post, but... at least it's out :D? I spent some time finishing a oneshot that had been in progress for three years, a Zack romance one-shot titled "Love in Hindsight." Check it out, if you'd like!

Speaking of three years... WDTL celebrated three years on July 20th. I'm curious... I've been considering having a oneshot contest in honor of three years - open-ended, for now, because I don't know how many entries there'd be - and would like to know if anyone would be interested?

The rules would be simple - do whatever you want with the WDTL characters, make whatever pairings or AU you want, just a single chapter, and I would take spelling and grammar under consideration. The prize has yet to be determined.

HadesXMaleficent... Random, huh? They would be my Disney villain OTP :) Judge me all you want.

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review! :)**


	40. The Man with the Steelguard

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Suddenly, a small blue flame appeared close by, giving light to Hades' sinister frame; he was leaning against the wall and wore a sinister carnivorous grin.

The man stopped walking and was almost in a defensive position. "Who are you?"

Hades stepped away from the wall, his fingertips touching. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax there, Mr. Hero. Name's Hades. God of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, composer of these games—hah, credentials. Don't let them intimidate you."

The Hero sized him up, a tad suspicious. "Snow. Snow Villiers." He crossed his arms. "What business does the 'Lord of the Dead' have with the living?"

The god's lip curled. "I've got a job for you."

Chapter Forty: The Man with the STEELGUARD

Massive, quadrapedal, and wearing varying shades of purple fur, the Behemoth Heartless dwarfed Team Sora. Two large, white curved tusks sprouted from its lower jaw and it had a black, conical horn on its forehead. Like other Heartless, it bore a familiar emblem on its chest, glowing yellow eyes, and a jagged maw.

The Behemoth leaped from one end of the arena to another, kicking everyone with the claws of its two-toed feet. Upon its landing, the ground shook, and its horn glowed with charging energy. Anon, balls of energy rained from the sky and struck the party.

Red XIII was the first to recover and take to his paws. With feline-like movement, he darted toward their adversary, jumped to its hip, and then onto its back. He ran along the spine and then pounced and bit into its horn.

The Heartless bucked and madly thrashed about, trying to shake off Red. Shortly, although the red beast's bite was strong, it succeeded; he was sent flying into the pedestal, eliciting a yelp.

Donald threw a Cure spell Red XIII's way and Sora concentrated some Thundaga spells on the Heartless's horn, since that appeared to be its weak point; he was not confident in his ability to jump high enough and get close for a physical assault. Goofy provided support, offering up his small reserves of magic to the boy and duck as needed.

Seeing no one else was going to take advantage, Hikari copied Red XIII's intentions. With each tanto drawn, she ran up to the Behemoth, leaped onto its hip, and hopped onto its back. As she ran along the spine, she charged her blades with wind-natured chakra to sharpen and lengthen them.

In a quick and simple combo, she sliced through the horn in an X-formation; she cut off the appendage, provoking a yell from the Heartless. Then, as the parts fell away, she took both wind-charged blades and embedded them hands-deep in the stump of the horn.

Violet light poured from the wound alongside dark mist while she withdrew her weapons and sheathed them. She sprang off its back, somersaulted midair, and landed in a crouch near the rest of Team Sora. The Behemoth collapsed behind them and faded away into darkness.

The team posed for victory. Hikari stood, put a hand on her hip, flipped her hair, and winked. Donald spun and thrust his staff into the air. Goofy jumped up and down, cheering, "We did it!" Red XIII scratched behind his ear before rearing on his hind legs.

Sora, however, simply dismissed his Keyblade and turned away from the crowd.

In the stands, some of the White Mushrooms had apparently found jobs working concession, and carried boxes with popcorn, candy, and soft drinks. When someone handed them munny, they would toss the items into the air, similarly to the magic spheres.

As the assortment of refreshments rained onto the people, the Heartless disappeared and dropped their boxes, the contents, and the little buttons listing the price where they had stood.

Veins popped out at Hikari's temples, leading into byakugan eyes, as she walked toward the benches. She squinted, and paid attention to the part almost directly behind her in her nearly 360-degree vision. Two figures were present within a den; one appeared to be giving off smoke at its feet, and the other was tall and full of strange energy only slightly different from typical magic.

A sharp pain in her head made her close her eyes, stop walking, and press the base of her palm against her forehead. While she grit her teeth, she deactivated the byakugan. _I guess even with the breaks from using them, I'm at my limit for borrowing Neji's eyes._

She opened one eye and twisted back. Snow was dawdling, punching his hand with his fist as he left the den and entered the arena. _But it was worth it. That figure with the smoke—it had to be Hades. And the other—I'm pretty sure it was Snow, especially since he's the one leaving. Now I know who Hades employed for this tournament._

At Jiminy's beckoning (he was on her shoulder) she continued toward the bench. _I wouldn't have expected someone who calls himself the "Hero," though._

* * *

Temari and Kankurou were already waiting at one end of the arena. The kunoichi had freed the fan from the sash and casually leaned on it while the other hand rested on her hip. The puppeteer simply had his arms crossed. Both wore cocky smirks as Snow dallied into the arena, punching his hand with his fist.

"He is a handsome one," she commented. "I almost feel sorry we're going to break him."

Kankurou snorted and started up a little smack talk. "Hey, 'Snowflake.' Don't look so cocky going up against two shinobi. I don't know why you call yourself 'the Hero,' but we sure haven't seen anything special."

"The name's 'Snow,'" the man corrected. He smirked, stepped forward, and raised his arm in front of his face, fist closed. "Besides, I'm not cocky . . . I'm confident." He lowered his arm as the sound signaling the start of the match blared. "Nothing can penetrate my . . . STEELGUARD!"

Temari raised a brow and muttered, "Is this guy for real?"

Kankurou pulled out two scrolls and opened them. "Let's just win this." He performed a few hand signs and smoke surged forth, subsequently dissipating to reveal two puppets. The first, Crow, was humanoid in appearance yet had four arms and three eyes. Its jagged teeth, long and spiky brown hairstyle, and tattered black gown gave it a wild appearance. The other, Black Ant, had six arms and a bucket shaped face that also bore three eyes. Two sharp red horns sprouted from its dark, unkempt hair.

She smirked and opened her fan. "There's no other option."

Kankurou lifted Crow slightly off the ground and Temari swung her fan so a wind current launched it into the air. The puppet dropped bombs that exploded on impact; quickly, the kunoichi swung her fan again, releasing a gale that made the bomb's fire grow.

The fire simply washed over Snow and disappeared behind him. The smoke had been carried by the wind, so he was not obscured. The yellow glow of his Steelguard remained strong.

The Sand Siblings clicked their tongues. "Sit back. This next move will get him," Kankurou said.

Temari kept her fan open and held it in front of her like a shield, in case anything was thrown at her while her brother executed the next move.

At high speeds, he spun Crow and Black Ant around Snow. Crow's jaw dropped and launched some poisonous gas bombs, surrounding the opponent with thick, toxic mist. Then, the hands of both puppets lifted away from the wrist like lids, and unleashed a barrage of senbon.

Kankurou smirked. _Poison Mist Inferno: Consecutive Needle Combo. Let's see you try to keep up your "Steelguard" when you're blind and poisoned._ He withdrew the puppets when they ran out of needles and waited for the mist to clear. Soon, he could make out the Hero's large form, and his face fell.

Snow stood in the middle of a ring of needles, which had apparently glanced off. He momentarily ceased his Steelguard and lifted his arm where a Starfall Pendant had been wrapped around his wrist a few times. "Don't feel bad. I noticed you used a lot of poison-tipped weapons, and equipped an accessory with a resistance to poison. Looks like it worked."

Temari snorted and took a step forward while her brother frowned. She performed a few hand seals and lifted her fan. "My turn. Let someone who's mastered the Wind element handle this." _Wind Style: Cast Net!_

Three more times she swung her fan in rapid succession, and though her arms moved in different ways each time, each blow was sent in Snow's general direction. In the form of a large net, the swings created multiple narrow, concentrated wind currents.

"STEELGUARD!" Enacting his defensive maneuver of the same name, Snow allowed the jutsu to hit him head-on. This proved to be a mistake, however, because the sharp currents of the net cut through the guard and sliced into interspersed parts of his body, thankfully missing vital organs. He was also pushed back five feet.

Before he would be attacked again, he put up a Mediguard. The defense was not as high as the Steelguard, and it glowed green with curative leaves, but it assisted in some first aid so he could continue the fight; a more skilled healer could look at it later.

He looked at the kunoichi warily. _That jutsu's powerful. I should concentrate on defeating her first._

"Not so fast, 'Zero,'" Kankurou taunted. He directed Crow to his opponents flank and unveiled hidden knives at the wrists, which he tried to stab with. "We're not going to give you a chance to heal yourself."

The knives pressed into Snow, straining against the Mediguard, but they did not penetrate his skin. He flung the knives away and lowered the guard. "It's going to take a little more than light breezes and hidden knives to defeat me."

"'Light breezes,' huh? Typical man, just begging for more." She performed _Wind Style: Cast Net_ again. "You're not going to win if all you do is defend!"

Instead of allowing the jutsu to hit him head-on, again, he dived out of its way and tumbled across the ground. He recovered quickly and dodged some more hidden weapons from Kankurou's puppets as he ran toward the fan-wielding young woman. His speed was not superhuman, but unexpected for someone his size.

She closed her fan and held it in front of her as a shield against the punch she expected coming. However, Snow surprised her by grabbing her wrists, lifting her off her feet, and launching her up and out-of-bounds. He punched the air a few times and sent three black beams of a non-elemental spell called Ruin that, while damaging her, also kept her airborne.

Ironically, the spell gave her recovery time. With her expression turning from dazed to almost angry, she twisted midair and opened her fan. Before she would lose altitude, she knelt on the steel blades and created some wind currents to keep her aloft.

She flew into the space above the arena, removed the fan from under her, and snapped it closed. She landed in front of Snow at a crouch, holding the tool to her side. She swung the numerous layers of steel across his stomach with all her might, bringing him to double over; before he could counter, she ran back to her brother's side.

"Wow! Sure felt that one," he commented while holding his stomach. He straightened and put up his dukes. "Is that all you got?"

Briefly the Sand Siblings regrouped and devised another attack. When they agreed to their tactics, they nodded; Kankurou reeled in his puppets and waited.

Temari opened her fan yet again and swung it upward, sending a strong current—as well as Snow's attention—to the sky. Dark clouds rolled in overhead as she partially closed her fan and made another swing toward her opposition. A small, unnoticed gust rolled toward him.

That gust instantly grew into a minuscule tornado at Snow's feet. It picked him up and suspended him twenty feet off the ground, all the while scratching exposed skin.

Temari smirked. _Wind Scythe Jutsu._

While Snow was suspended, Kankurou opened Black Ant's torso and tossed the puppet into the air. He directed Black Ant to swallow his adversary and closed the torso back up; Temari ceased her wind jutsu. Then, the puppeteer separated Crow's head and limbs from its body, resulting in eight separate parts with blades pointing toward Black Ant.

With haste, Kankurou guided each part into slots in Black Ant's torso, meaning to impale the victim within. _Secret Black Move: Iron Maiden._

Temari rested one hand on the fan and the other on her hip, wearing a satisfied smirk. "This is the end—"

No sooner than when she spoke, Black Ant burst into numerous pieces, seemingly at the cause of expanding energy; both puppets ended up strewn across the arena, some parts comprised of mere splinters. Snow landed on the ground, apparently unharmed. Almost immediately, he put up his "STEELGUARD!"

The siblings glowered; Temari clicked her tongue and flicked her eyes to the sky. From the nearly forgotten and stormy heavens, a sizeable tornado descended upon the Hero, whipping his hair and loose clothing about; with his Steelguard up, withal, it would not lift him.

The clouds immediately dispersed. _Wind Style: Sea Dragon._

Kankurou procured another scroll and unraveled it part of the way. From it, he summoned a third puppet; a puppet whose face was familiar to Hikari and Sora and drew a reaction from the both of them.

More so than Crow or Black Ant, this puppet resembled a human. It had fair skin, tousled red hair, and painted nails on its hands and feet. A coil wrapped around a pole in its stomach, and it had two poles attached to the back of its hips, each equipped with five blades that currently were converged into one. Baggy blue pants tucked into zori at its shins. Hazel eyes, wide yet unseeing, stared forward.

"Sasori of the Red Sands . . . ," whispered the Konoha kunoichi. "His body was technically a puppet already, and they did say they were in Agrabah. . . ."

Sora continued for her, "We did just leave him in the sand, so they could've recovered him, but it's. . . ."

"Weird," she finished.

He nodded in agreement.

Kankurou skipped the formalities and detached the head of the puppet. Then, as he moved Scorpion (the new name of the puppet) closer to Snow, he launched several triangular blades with explosive balls attached to them from the neck and palms.

Snow almost did not have adequate time to put up his Steelguard, but in the end, the Sand Siblings simply were not so lucky. The blades glanced off his body and the explosive balls detonated, engulfing him in flame. Annoyingly, he was unharmed.

The Hero lowered his guard, cracked his knuckles, and rotated his wrist. "This has been a blast, but it's time to end this. Come face me head-on like men." He raised both fists in a combat stance.

Several chakra strings—which were invisible to Snow, due to his unfamiliarity with the energy—attached themselves to his torso at the puppeteer's behest. The cat-ear-hooded boy then pulled those strings, flinging his opponent closer to himself and his puppet. Scorpion extended its right arm simultaneously, intending to punch him.

Snow simply had to cross his arms in front of him defensively to deflect the arm. The chakra strings were also detached, so he was on his feet again. Now hardly three feet away from the siblings, he smirked. "You guys are making this too easy!

"Here it comes!" He pulled back his fist, leaped up, and threw all his weight into one knock-out blow—which he called Sovereign Fist—across Kankurou's face. Consecutively, he released a strong splash of Ruinga—a considerably stronger and larger version of Ruin.

Temari tried to block the splash of magic by opening her fan and crouching behind it. Withal, the force of the magic knocked her off her feet and put her to sleep.

Cheering from the crowd ensued, and Snow drank it in like a celebrity. He raised his arms and wore a cocky grin; he put his hand to his ear when they chanted his name, encouraging the people to be louder. Nearby, some people who worked for the Coliseum picked up Temari, her fan, Kankurou, and his puppets.

Of Team Sora, Donald was satisfied with the Sibling's loss while Goofy and Red XIII were rather enamored by the display of strength. Hikari and Sora had their eyes on Snow, albeit for different reasons.

"I want to fight him," Sora said. His eyes glinted with fierce determination.

Hikari glanced at him side-long with a slightly open mouth, then looked back at Snow. "He's strong. He'll be pretty tough to beat." _And, he might be working with Hades._ She stood up. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" piped Jiminy from Sora's shoulder.

"Bathroom. Is that alright? Like I said: I'll be back." She walked away.

* * *

The coliseum's lobby was completely empty but for one busty, blonde young lady with pigtails tied at the top of her head and hanging down almost to her knees. A white nurse's hat rested on her crown behind parted bangs; she paired it with an orange toga that strategically clung and draped over her curves in all the right places. Her leather sandals had straps going up to just below her knees.

She almost appeared to be sleeping, seeing as her eyes were closed. She was leaning against the wall with her ankles set apart and her arms at her side, appearing vulnerable.

Heavy footfall alerted her to the presence of someone, and she opened her blue eyes. She stepped away from the wall, turned to the arena's doorway, and hooked her hands behind her back. As an afterthought, she pinched her cheeks to conjure some blush among the whisker-like markings, then returned to her previous position. She leaned forward, letting the neckline of the toga separate from her chest, and greeted the person who entered the lobby. "Hi! You're Snow, aren't you?"

The Hero stopped and looked her over, unable to mask the surprise in his face. He responded cautiously, not necessarily because he sensed something afoul, but the young woman seemed awkward. "Yeah, that's me. . . . Who wants to know?"

She pointed to herself and replied, "My name is Naruko! I'm your nurse." Standing straight, she motioned toward the exit. "I have a private tent set up outside." She touched her hands together in front of her thighs and bowed. "Please, let me take care of you."

A suggestive lift of the girl's brow at "private" raised a red flag for the engaged man. "Sorry, Miss, I don't think that's necessary. I'm engaged. I think the infirmary will do just fi—ugh!" He winced as the wounds sustained from Temari's Wind Style: Cast Net Jutsu spontaneously reopened; the effect of Mediguard was more of a band-aid solution, and therefore temporary. _Damn._

"Naruko" grabbed his arm, holding it against her chest. She pouted and her eyes glittered. "That's not what I mean! I promise: no funny business." Her eyes grew. "I've always wanted to treat a _real_ hero—like you! You're so strong, cool, and moral! Please don't deny me this honor."

Snow rubbed the back of his head and held her stare; he was failing to resist those pitiable doe eyes. He slumped in defeat. "Alright. But no funny business. I'm an easy-going guy, but I love my fiancée." Gently, he freed his arm from her.

"Of course!" She extended her arm toward the entrance. "Right this way."

Until he passed her, she kept her smile; almost immediately after she was left in his wake, her mask fell. She straightened, shuddered, and followed him out.

Snow entered the tent which was set up in front of one of the statues. In one corner, there was a vast array of potions, hi-potions, ethers, mega-ethers, elixirs, and mega-elixirs. In the center, tatami mats were laid out. In the other corner, a small kit held swabs, bandages, and other supplies.

"Naruko" entered after him and closed the flap behind her. Suddenly, with a small "poof," she was consumed with smoke. Under its obscurity, she pulled out a small slip of paper reading "seal" that she posted on the tent's opening.

Snow quickly turned around and raised his arms when a low-powered wind ninjutsu cleared the smoke. He reacted to the new countenance standing opposite of him. "Hey, what's going on? What happened to 'Naruko'?"

"She doesn't exist. Not literally, anyway," Hikari replied. She had her hand on her hip and reached up to touch her visage. "Her face was created by my twin brother as part of his 'sexy jutsu'—she usually isn't clothed. Gushing at you like a pathetic fangirl was embarrassing enough, though."

He narrowed his eyes and studied her. "Wait a minute, you're participating in this tournament, aren't you? You're with Sora!"

She lowered her hand and crossed her arms. "My name is Hikari. I brought you here because I noticed you lurking with Hades, and that can mean only one thing. . . ." She opened her eyes. "You're the idiot he hired to take out Sora. Tell me. Did you enter under the title of 'Hero' as a joke?"

"What?"

"It's pretty ironic, actually. Hades has been hiring people to take out Hercules and Sora for some time now. There were two before you—obviously, they were thwarted—"

Snow tried to interrupt, "—Wait—," but Hikari continued as if he had not said anything.

"—Hades actually double-crossed the first. He apparently grew impatient and sicked his massive, three-headed pet on Sora, without consideration for the guy he hired—he was injured—"

"—I said hold on—"

"—You're probably something like him. You're looking for someone, aren't you? How would this someone feel if they knew you conspired with the darkness to find them—?"

Snow raised his voice. "Now just hold on one damn minute!"

Hikari shut her mouth, widened her eyes, and straightened.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know me. I never agreed to Hades' deal, because I'm not that kind of guy. I'm not going to kill a kid because some shady guy who calls himself a god told me to, no matter what he offers." He looked away. "Even if that means my fiancée has to wait a while longer for Sis and me to come home."

Hikari's visage instantly softened, and she held her arms. She reddened with shame. "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions."

"It's fine. Next time you should be more thorough," he said soberly. Then, after a short pause, he chuckled and reminisced. "You reminded me a little of Sis, actually. Calling me a 'joke' sounded like something she'd say."

"Hades likes his chumps strong, skilled, and usually naïve. I thought you were all talk, when you were calling yourself 'the Hero.' With that name, you were the least suspicious, so it somehow made sense that he'd choose you." She averted her eyes. "I didn't _completely_ jump the gun, you know. I _did_ put thought into it."

The kunoichi looked at the Hero's arms, chest, and legs, where he had sustained wounds from the previous fight. They were easily mendable—and certainly not lethal—but the sooner they were tended to, the less chance there was of infection.

She pointed at one of the mats in the center of the tent. "Sit."

"Huh?"

"Sit down," she repeated. "And you should probably take off your shirt too."

"Wait, did you hear the part where I have a fiancée?"

She blushed. "Do you think every woman is out to sleep with you? I have someone, too, and you're too old for me. Not interested." She motioned toward the medicinal items. "I told you I'd treat your wounds, didn't I? I'm not a nurse, but I know how to use these items to heal wounds. The 'Cure' spells don't work on people from my world, and I don't actually know medical ninjutsu, so I had to learn.

"Plus, I want you to tell me what happened with Hades. There's no way he didn't put up a fight when you refused his offer."

"Right." He removed his coat first. "Well, it happened like this."

* * *

_I stood in that dark den with Hades, but the light still hit me. I shaded my eyes and stared at Sora with a frown; uncomfortably, I shifted and rubbed the back of my head. "I don't know about this, Hades. He just looks like some kid." I turned to the god. "I'm not convinced__—__"_

"Wait, so you actually considered hurting Sora?" Hikari interrupted as she knelt down next to Snow. She had her eyes on a long gash on his arm, and bit the lid off of a potion.

He frowned at her. "Hades first told me had a mark for me, but I didn't see who until then. If it were a Heartless, or a monster, I wouldn't have thought twice."

_Hades then approached me from behind and touched my shoulder. He seemed frustrated. "What more proof do you want!? True, he's just a kid, but you're never too young to be corrupted. Just _look_ at the company he keeps. He's a moody runt, too."_

_I snorted and shifted my eyes towards him. "Sis was moody, too, but that didn't make her a villain." I chuckled._

_I returned to looking at Sora, who stood in the middle of a ring of White Mushrooms. He wasn't reacting to them like most people would, and wasn't really showing emotion to begin with. His companion, that red lion-like animal, reminded me of a Gorgonoposid from Pulse._

_Hades' didn't like my answer. He let go of me, but I could almost feel his brow tighten. "'Sis,' huh? Listen, Snow. I'm a reasonable guy. This kid—he's a menace. He and his friends killed my dog—among other pets—and meddled in all types of affairs. But if that's not enough to convince you, I'll make you a deal."_

_I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. "A deal?"_

_The "Lord of the Dead" had his back turned to me. "Well, a hero deserves to be rewarded for his good deeds, right? This sister of yours . . . is she missing?"_

_My eyes widened. "She's actually my soon-to-be sister-in-law. How did you know?"_

_He put his hands together. "Mazel tov. Lucky guess. IF you take care of the kid for me, I'll help you find her."_

"It sure sounds like you were considering it," Hikari interjected again.

"No. I'd already made up my mind."

_I acted nonchalant and stretched; I reached one arm back over my shoulder and pulled at my elbow, contracting my triceps. "Sorry. Truth is, if I accepted this deal, neither Sis nor Serah would forgive me." I rotated my shoulders and then stood still so I could look Hades in the eye. "I'm not going to kill the kid."_

_He was trying to control his anger and laughed it off. "Whoa, whoa, Snow, come on. Don't be so hasty. You made up your mind before you even heard me out. Keep an open mind. I didn't know heroes jumped to conclusions."_

"_I'm not an executioner."_

_His face fell. No more Mr. Nice Hothead. "No, no, I see. You have __**morals,**__" he voiced with saturated sarcasm. He touched his fingertips together, his skin turned red, and the fire on his head burned bright yellow. "But you see, I'm in a bind. This tournament is almost over, and there's no one else who will even have a chance of taking that pipsqueak out!"_

_The fire spread from his scalp down his neck and across his arms. He raised his flaming limbs and prepared a few fireballs. "You'll do it, or I'll make sure you never see your lover—or her sister—again!"_

_I dodged the flame projectiles he threw at me, and leaped at him with my fist pulled back. I punched his face in and knocked him down; the fire instantly disappeared, and he was out cold._

* * *

"I see. . . . So you knocked him out. I think the byakugan deactivated itself too soon . . . all I saw was the two of you talking," Hikari said when the story was done. She sneered. "Whataya know? Maybe you are something of a hero after all."

"Hey, don't start sweet-talking me now," he joked.

Rolling her eyes, she continued more seriously. "I guess at this point, it's too late for him to hire someone. Maybe there's nothing to worry about, this tournament. I wonder if he'd try to take matters into his own hands."

"The guy's a hothead, but gods usually don't."

"How do you know?"

"My world had the Fal'Cie, which were god-like. They would force people into their service by marking them with a brand and giving them a Focus, a task they would have to perform within a certain time frame or else they'd be turned into Heartless." Absently, he touched a mark on his arm that would usually be covered by the sleeve of his coat; it looked like an opening eye.

She noticed the brand and connected the dots. "You're cursed." _Like me, _she thought, placing her fingers over her own mark. Her face softened, and she hesitated prior to pouring the salve on a deeper part of the wound. ". . . What's your Focus?"

He winced and the wound glittered with a soft green light as it shrank closed. "When the Fal'Cie choose you as a l'Cie, they don't tell you what your Focus is. You have a vision, and it isn't always clear." He turned his head a little and looked at her peripherally; he wore an optimistic smile. "Don't feel sorry for me. My friends and I overcame our fate once, and saved our world. I can do it again. I'm sure of it."

He faced forward again, eyes full of resolve. "I let the Fal'Cie mark me this time because I need power to find Sis and bring her home. I won't become a Heartless because I'm going to get her blessing and marry my fiancée."

Hikari stared at him, silently, and absorbed his claim. He was so sure of himself, so optimistic and confident, she half-expected him to finish with "believe it." At this moment, he strongly reminded her of Naruto—and Sora, for that matter, when he was his usual self.

"No doubt about it; you, Sora, and Naruto would be like brothers," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Heh, it's nothing." She stood and walked in front of him. "The gashes on your chest and stomach . . . it might be easier and less embarrassing if you laid on your back for me to treat them."

"Okay." He complied with her request and laid on his back, though his tall form barely fit with in the length of the tent. He folded his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling while Hikari knelt by his side and hovered over him to carry on with the treatment.

She started her attention on his stomach, below his navel, though she was not eager to tend to something so close to his pant line. Some blood rushed to her face as she grabbed another hi-potion and spoke again. "When you were explaining to Hades that you didn't want to accept his offer, you kept saying you wouldn't do it because Sora's a kid . . . you never actually said you think he's innocent."

Snow spoke bluntly. "I don't know if he's innocent. Kids don't always do the right thing, just like adults, and they feel emotions like fear and anger. But, I didn't know that he was guilty, or beyond help, either. Sometimes, people need a little light to shine the way."

"Sora _is_ innocent," the once-heartless girl insisted. "He's a lot like you, but Phil calls him a 'Junior Hero,' in spite of all the Heartless felled by his Keyblade and the good he's done." She picked up a yellow bar—a gel form of 'elixir'—and rubbed it on a wound, since hi-potion was not performing adequately. "He's touched so many hearts. . . .

"That dog Hades said Sora killed had three heads and was larger than the arena. The battlefield was the entire coliseum for that fight. Sora defeated it in self-defense—actually, in defense of everyone in the Coliseum! Cerberus terrorized and hurt anyone in its way and he, Donald, and Goofy finished him off.

"Sora has never raised his Keyblade to hurt someone who didn't have dark intentions. He meddles, but only because he can't just stand by when someone's in trouble."

She moved to a wound across his chest, and tried not to look at his face. She continued speaking, and he watched her visage.

"He's usually optimistic, but it feels like we've lost more lately than we've won. We've defeated strong foes—that needed to be stopped—but failed to save some people from being taken by the enemy. One of his friends could've lost her heart, and his other friend . . . ," she hesitated sadly, ". . . the boy I love . . . isn't on the right side.

"He's not 'moody,' he's discouraged. That's the only reason why the White Mushrooms are around now. He needs guidance, a confidence boost, something to take him out of his funk." She paused with her hand over a glittering and shrinking wound; she thought of Sora's grin. "He needs to remember how to find a reason to smile."

Noticing that his wounds were healed, Snow sat up and gingerly held her arm. He looked into her eyes. "He sounds like a good kid."

She smiled. "He is." She reached away from him for a small vial of mega-elixir, out of his touch. Handing it to him, she said, "Drink this, and you'll be completely restored. Your stamina, too."

"Thank you," he said.

The kunoichi stood. "No prob. I'll see you out in the arena. 'The Hero' and 'Team Sora' should be facing each other, soon." She smirked and winked. "But Team Sora's going to win this."

With a laugh, he returned the smack talk. "You should bring some of the White Mushrooms into the arena with you. Fighting the five of you will be too easy."

"Bite your tongue!" Hikari snorted, and exited the tent.

**End of Chapter Forty**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-one: Someone's Hero

The Hero gave a cursory glance at the Heartless before looking Sora. _I was kidding when I told her to bring some Mushrooms. Where is she, anyway?_ "Hey, kid. What happened to the rest of your team?"

Sora was already in combat position. "They're sitting this one out. It's just you, me, and the Heartless."

"Mano-a-mano, eh?" he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, you sure about this? Fighting on your own. . . ."

* * *

Hey, guys! Welp, in consideration of how busy I am between work and school, this update isn't too far behind when it should've come out ^^ So, I'm pretty happy. I will continue to try my best to get things out in a timely manner, but I really can't promise anything sooner than four to five weeks. Please continue to be patient :) You're all awesome.

Oh, and since it just popped into my head: I do not own Disney, Naruto, or Kingdom Hearts. Also, while I did create the banner for this chapter, the image of Snow is from XIII-2 and the image used for Hiki is an edit of MontyOum's Namine as seen in Dead Fantasy. (FanFiction readers can disregard.) Maybe I should add that I don't own Final Fantasy, too XD Enough disclaimers? Good.

So, tell me what you guys think :) Temari/Kankurou vs. Snow was interesting fight to write; I had to use info from Narutopedia for jutsu used by Temari and Kankurou since I'm so behind on the series and don't really have time to sit down at a laptop for hours to catch up . I hope I gained ample understanding so as to correctly convey the jutsu utilized in this chapter. Same for Snow's moves, Sovereign Fist in particular. I never actually unlocked Sovereign Fist, and the description was a tad confusing, so . . . I guess I took a small liberty with that one. I took a few other liberties with his moves in translation from gameplay mechanics to story.

By the way, Marc (CommanderFlynn) — is that enough STEELGUARDs for ya XD? If not, there are more to come next chapter, in Snow vs. Sora. Everyone — who do you think will win?

Welp . . . I'ma stop babbling so I can post then go to bed. **Thank you for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	41. Someone's Hero

Recappy From the Last Chappy: The kunoichi stood. "No prob. I'll see you out in the arena. 'The Hero' and 'Team Sora' should be facing each other, soon." She smirked and winked. "But Team Sora's going to win this."

With a laugh, he returned the smack talk. "You should bring some of the White Mushrooms into the arena with you. Fighting the five of you will be too easy."

"Bite your tongue!" Hikari snorted, and exited the tent.

**Chapter Forty-one: Someone's Hero**

"You've certainly kept Ed on his toes, during this fight," chuckled the man inside the arena. Blood had spilled from his smile and down his fair-skinned chin. While one hand swept back his chocolate brown locks, the other held a kunai to the throat of his adversary. He winked a violet eye at her. "But Ed finds that sexy in a woman, so he'll forgive you."

"You think I'm going to fall for a cheesy line like that?" the woman sneered. The Konoha headband tied around her forehead was almost completely covered by the plum-colored bangs framing her face. She also held a kunai to his neck and struggled to keep her hazel eyes open. "I'm not into pigheads that refer to themselves in the third person."

He noticed that she was trembling. "Don't deny it. Ed makes you weak in the knees. Go ahead and swoon for him. Let's end this dance."

"You'll faint before me. You're not as good at hiding your exhaustion as you think." She stuck her tongue out, which stretched like Hikari's, and licked some blood from under her eye. "Die, for all I care."

"That's har—ah . . . !"

Simultaneously, both contenders swayed. Their eyes rolled to the back of their heads, and they turned limp. At the same time, their backs hit the ground.

Censure rang through the crowd at the anticlimactic end; they were not amused by the flirtation and were annoyed by the lack of a clear victor. Many people turned toward one another, murmuring and confused.

Phil waddled into the arena while infirmary professionals came in with stretchers to pick up the combatants. He was hunched for a moment and huffed as he caught his breath; then, he spoke, somehow projecting his voice through the entire Coliseum; the crowd quieted.

"The match of Edward James Bos and Anko Mitarashi is a tie, seein' as both participants collapsed at the same time. So, because there are only three teams left, we'll skip the semi-finals, and the finals will be a three-way fight between Team Sora, the Hero, and the Mad Mushrooms. The match starts in ten minutes." He waddled off.

As he exited, Hikari entered and walked back to her team. She casually sipped a pink soft drink from a bendy straw in a cup shaped like a small blue pedestal; it looked like it was decorated with a gold coin bearing Hercules's physiognomy.

"Sure took you long enough!" Donald piped.

She stood in front of them with a hand on her hip. "It isn't polite to time someone else's bathroom breaks. Besides, I was doing some recon, and from what I found, Hades didn't hire anyone for this tournament; he ran out of time and chums. It's just the Heartless, and those aren't anything we can't handle." She sat next to Sora. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"The participants of the last fight both fainted, so the final match is between three teams," Goofy explained.

"And that's it," Red XIII said.

Sora spoke next. He was staring forward with a determined look in his eye, and there did not appear to be a single White Mushroom in sight; he seemed almost back to normal. "Hey guys . . . do you mind sitting this one out? I want to fight the Hero and the Mad Mushrooms."

The rest of the team was taken aback. "By yourself!?" they chorused.

He thought about it, and despite their questioning, he was more assured. He raised his head, closed his hands, and nodded. "Yeah! The Heartless are nothing, and I wanna fight this guy." He turned his head to them. "So, please, can you sit this one out?"

"You really want to go one-on-one?" Red XIII mused.

Goofy turned to the rest of them. "What are we gonna do?"

"Just let him, I guess," answered Donald.

Hikari stared at him, her straw stuck in a thoughtful frown. Then, she shrugged. "If you think that's what you need to do, we won't stop you. We'll cheer you on."

"Good luck, Sora!" Goofy added.

"Give 'em hail," Hikari winked.

* * *

The three parties of the final match met in the center of the arena. Sora and Snow faced each other, and the Mad Mushrooms—a team which, surprisingly, was comprised of three White Mushrooms—stood off to their sides.

The Hero gave a cursory glance at the Heartless before looking Sora. _I was kidding when I told her to bring some Mushrooms. Where is she, anyway?_ "Hey, kid. What happened to the rest of your team?"

Sora was already in combat position. "They're sitting this one out. It's just you, me, and the Heartless."

"Mano-a-mano, eh?" he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, you sure about this? Fighting on your own. . . ."

"What's the matter?" the boy sneered. "Scared?"

"Only of what my fiancée would do to me of she found out I beat up a little kid!"

"I'm not a kid! I'm fourteen! I've fought a ton of monsters, bigger than you . . ."

The fanfare for the start of the match played.

". . . so don't hold back!"

Sora closed the distance between himself and the Hero and made a wide arc with his Keyblade. Snow blocked it with his "STEELGUARD!" but the Keybearer continued his combo, looking for a weakness in the defense. Though the hits were heavier with each swing, they did not succeed in breaking through.

Deciding not to allow that to discourage him, he changed the style of his swing and tried a slapshot; he heaved the Keyblade from over his shoulder in a large arc and continued with an upward thrust. When that failed, he stepped closer to throw all of his weight into a spinning attack.

He still did not break through the "STEELGUARD!"

The boy turned and dodge-rolled to regain some distance. He pointed his Keyblade and shouted, "Fire!" The magic flame that left the tip of his weapon was in fact the second tier of the spell, and hit his opponent head-on; the man hardly flinched.

_I think it hurt him a little, but I'd definitely run out of magic before he runs out of stamina. When I try to use special moves, too, they use a lot more energy,_ he thought.

On the sidelines, Hikari thought aloud. "Just wait out the 'Steelguard.' He can't keep it up forever, there has to be at least a small break. Time your attacks before you tire yourself out. You should know this."

Although he could not hear her advice, he did wait for a small span of time, assessing his adversary. _He won't put that guard down until he takes me seriously, and he probably won't take me seriously unless I find a way to make him stagger. . . ._

His little boy blues followed a White Mushroom that—literally—rolled onto the scene. It struggled to keep its balance on a small barrel lying on its side. With its pointy arms waving around, the Mushroom feverishly moved its questionably existent feet and rolled toward a slew of barrels that had gone unnoticed by the brunette teen previously.

A light bulb lit in Sora's head and he dismissed the Keyblade.

Hikari—who still held her soft drink—tightened her grip on the cup and stood, spilling the contents on Donald. Still more to herself than directly at Sora, she anxiously questioned, "What are you doing!? Don't try going hand-to-hand with him—you'll lose!"

She then looked over at Donald, who was wringing out his cap. "Oops, uh . . . sorry, Donald."

Red in the face, he replaced his cap, took her cup, and threw it on the ground. Then, he pounced on the container repeatedly, crushing it with his webbed feet.

Hikari crossed her arms and glowered at him lightheartedly. "Donald, didn't your mom teach you to use your words when you were a little duckling in the nest?"

Before he could retaliate with witty reply, Goofy called their attention. "What's Sora doin' with the barrel?"

The Keybearer had sauntered over to the barrels near the edge of the arena, lifted one over his head, and walked back toward Snow; the man with the "STEELGUARD!" also had an eyebrow raised. "What's that for?"

Rather than answer verbally—as barrels are still indeed heavy even when they contain naught—Sora showed him; when he stood but a few feet away from the man, he threw the barrel directly at him.

The barrel broke apart into small planks of lumber upon impact, and succeeded in making Snow stagger. The Keyblade came to Sora in flash of light, and he rushed to take advantage of this moment of weakness. Whilst the man tried to regain himself, Sora enacted a move called Ars Arcanum, which brought a bright glow to his Keyblade as he pummeled the Hero with twelve consecutive swings followed by one heavy bash.

"Rule 57: Use your environment!" Phil cheered from the sidelines. "That's the Junior Hero for ya!"

Sora relented and gained distance once more, wary of counterattack. He kept his guard up while his opponent recovered.

Snow straightened, cracked his back, and wiped his chin on the back of his hand. "Alright, good one. You've caught my attention." He put up his dukes. "You've got spunk, kid. I like that. But I'm done holding back."

The Keybearer smirked and ran toward him. "Bring it on!"

The l'Cie began on the defensive, dodging his opponent's Keyblade, and awaited an opening to deal damage of his own. During a moment of hesitance after one of Sora's swings, he swung his fist, and the boy fluidly evaded.

This continued on for moments, Sora occasionally using his Keyblade to block the hit and Snow raising his arm to parry the shaft of the Keyblade (he avoided the teeth at all cost, as they would have caused damage.)

One time when Sora tried to recycle his slapshot and made a large downward arc with his Keyblade, Snow caught the weapon in his hand and held on. His free hand, curled in a fist, glowed with light blue energy and leaked snowflakes as he pulled back and hit Sora square against his chest.

Ice encased the boy but neglected his weapon so as not to encase the spell caster's hand. Frozen, with no clue how to break free, his mouth was wide open and his eyes darted aimlessly in confusion.

Snow took the shaft of the Keyblade with both hands over his shoulder and heaved. He spun around and swung the ice-covered boy like a bat. He had enough momentum that when he released the Keyblade, the boy was sent flying toward the edge of the arena.

Onlookers nervously spectated as Sora almost landed out-of-bounds; however, he hit the column in the corner instead, and the block of ice shattered around him.

He landed on the ground, dazed and holding his head, but Snow did not give him time to recover and cast a restorative spell or consume a healing potion. The Hero punched a few Ruin spells the Keybearer's way, all of which made contact and sent the boy stumbling closer to the boundary line.

The fourth hit from Ruin positioned Sora dangerously close to out-of-bounds and also snapped him out of his daze. Dodge-rolling before he would be hit a fifth time, he moved clear across the arena but placed himself well within the boundaries. In one fluid motion, he completed his last somersault, stood upright, thrust his Key upward, and casted Cura on himself.

He dodge-rolled again closer to Snow, and when he was but a few feet away, he pulled a page from the book of Cloud Strife and used Sonic Blade; he rushed passed his opponent several times, slashing him in the process.

The crowd cheered; they were split between Snow and Sora, but enjoyed the struggle all the same.

Naturally, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy cheered the loudest; even Red XIII howled in favor of his sojourn companion. Hikari looked on with a countenance full of pride, softly gazing at him with a wide smile.

_He isn't the same boy who sparred against his friends with a toy wooden sword. He's become a true warrior._ Her beaming face faltered softly, and her smile turned sad and partial. _He could probably even beat Riku now._

Snow recovered from the Sonic Blade quickly and the heroes—self-proclaimed and Junior—resumed close combat. Having learned from before, Sora avoided overhead swings and using his weapon as a defensive piece. All of his swings were level with Snow's waist and if he could not dodge a fist, he positioned himself so he took the hit as softly as possible.

Then, abruptly, Snow slid back and leaped into the air. "The hero always wins!"

Recognizing this move as the start of Sovereign Fist, the move that knocked out Temari and Kankurou, the Keybearer quickly dodge-rolled under the man and jumped behind him. "Not against a Junior Hero!"

Snow turned his head, but the onslaught had already begun. The Keybearer aerially struck his opponent multiple times, staggering him mid-assault. Then, at the end of the combo, the tip of the Keyblade glowed with a bright yellow light.

"Ragnarok!" A salvo of light burst from the point of the Keyblade like small meteors (minus the rock) and struck Snow at point-blank range.

Sora landed on his feet in the center of the arena while the Hero was carried over the ground and across the combat area by the light beams. Pain marked Snow's face as the beams passed through his skin and damaged him. He landed flat on his back on the other side of the battleground.

Sora remained in an almost combat-ready position in the event of Snow's rising, rather exhausted. His feet were spread, and he held his weapon with both hands, but the tip touched the ground and his shoulders rose and fell with labored breathing.

However, Snow was also evidently drained, and did not rise.

The crowd went wild as Sora (and by extension his team) was declared the winner, and his team ran onto the arena to both celebrate and congratulate.

The jubilant noise carried into the den and reached Hades' ears. The god opened his eyes and groaned, his vision hazy and his body slightly achy. "Oh, boy. . . ." Slowly he lifted himself up and held his head as he muttered indecipherable phrases.

Soon, the noise registered to him as cheering, and he swiveled to face the arena. The sight of Team Sora basking in confetti and the peoples' reverence caused the fire from his head spread to his shoulders, and change color to bright yellow. His skin also turned red.

"NOOOO!"

Suddenly, an explosion came from the den, and the skies immediately darkened. As the flame in the torches grew in size and changed to a violet color, the mirth died down and there was concerned chattering among the people in the stands.

"Hades . . . !" Hikari breathed.

Fire burning as hot as hell burst from the den and created a runway for the Underworld god's emergence. The smoke that billowed from his robes seemed to greatly increase with the added flame—like fog hanging over the ocean.

"I won't have it! That little _snot_ will _not_ be the winner of my tournament!" bellowed the deity. His arms were consumed in fire. "You aren't surviving this round, pipsqueak, not after what you did to Maleficent!"

The flame of his arms spread and created hurdles of fire that covered the width of the entire arena. He began to turn, forcing the team to run around the arena; the hurdles were just high enough that one could not easily jump over, and large enough that one could not roll under, either.

_Maleficent? _Fatigued though he was, Sora pointed his Keyblade and paused; medium-sized ice projectiles escapes his weapon. "Freeze!"

The ice evaporated to vapor when it contacted the paroxysmal deity's red hot skin; the spell, Blizzara, simply was not cold enough to quell his rage. Nevertheless, he ceased the firewalls and started throwing fire at them in ball form.

Donald tried to counter the fire with Blizzaga, thinking the higher level spell might penetrate the heat, but the effect was hardly any different; steam clouded the area.

Hikari looked at the steam and performed a string of hand signs. She bit her lip, seeing as she did not have a great affinity for Water Style jutsus, but she tried anyway. _Water Style: Slap!_

The water in the steam took liquid form, though there was not much; the volume resembled a bucket's worth, at most. Then, with an audible smack, it gushed at Hades and drenched his face; his fiery follicles flickered, but did not go out, and the liquid vaporized from his face.

Goofy tried a physical attack, throwing his shield so as to keep distance from the fire's long reach. Whilst the shield made contact, it did not leave an impression; in addition to seeming immune to their magic, he was invulnerable to physical assault.

Red XIII conserved his energy and restored some of Sora's with Cura.

There was a brief cease-fire as the deity about-faced and fumed some more, preparing his next assault. Then, he swiveled toward them again and unleashed a large, continuous wave of flame, like that which would come out of a flamethrower.

The fiery flood came so quickly, not everyone dodged. Red XIII—who had something of a resistance to fire, anyway, seeing as some comprised his biological form (i.e., the tip of his tail)—smelled some of his fur singe as his hindquarters were hit. Hikari had to remove her jacket, for it caught fire; unfortunately, she did not have time to stamp the flame out before it was at her heels again. The others either rolled out of the way, conjured a shield of wind, or blocked the initial blast with their shield.

Abruptly, a familiar voice called out. "Hades, you need to chill out!"

A strong, icy gust containing many particles of ice heaped over the fire and performed what Blizzaga could not. The fire was not only extinguished, but a sculpture of ice in its form was left in its wake.

Ice continued to take shape, traveling up Hades' arms and consuming his body. His skin returned to its azure hue, but his temper continued to flare. He continued yelling until his face was covered.

In addition to the ice covering the Lord of the Dead, the entire Coliseum resembled a lake whose waters spontaneously froze during a turbulent storm. Giant waves surrounded the arena, looking like they would swallow the place, but they probably were put up to guard the stands; the sole part of the area untouched.

Snowflakes precipitated lightly, glistening in the afternoon sun like diamond dust. Team Sora gazed at its quiet descent, blown away by so beautiful a technique.

Hikari lowered her head and looked at the feet of the frozen deity. A splash of color in the snowy dust caught her eye, so she walked over, reached down, picked it up, and brushed it off; it was a Gummi block. ". . . ." She heard footsteps, put the block in her kunai pouch, and regarded the source of the ice sculptures. "Snow. . . ."

Sora looked at her and then followed her gaze; the sight that awaited him left him crestfallen: there stood Snow Villiers in nigh perfect health, hardly even fatigued. "YOU helped us? I thought I beat you!"

The Hero rubbed the back of his head. "Guilty. . . . I didn't want to go a hundred percent against you when what you really needed was a confidence boost. I thought I could get away with it, but then Hades had to crash the party. I'm sorry."

Sora stared at the ground. "I can't believe you went easy on me. . . ."

Snow wore an expression of remorse and approached the boy; he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Listen, Sora. Beating someone like me doesn't make you a hero. You're strong, don't get me wrong, but brawn isn't the only strength you need to protect someone."

The boy's head remained downcast, so the l'Cie lifted his head and looked around. His eyes fell on Hikari, and he seemed to have a sudden realization. Under Hikari's inquisitive gaze, he guided the boy a few steps away, out of her earshot, and leaned down. He whispered something to Sora that made the brunette's face flush.

As if that was not enough for Hikari to raise a brow, Snow made eye contact with her, smiled, and winked. A small suffusion now coming to her face, she crossed her arms and wondered, _What weird idea did he just put in his head?_

She awkwardly waved back when the man departed.

* * *

The ice sculpture of Hades was chipped at the foot and carried by Hercules back to the Underworld, where, despite its monarch's disposition, the temperature was a little more frigid; the god was likely to be contained for a while.

Afterwards, Hercules congratulated Team Sora for their winning the Cup in the lobby. He heard about the one-on-one struggle between Sora and Snow, the latter of whom was described as a potential rival to the heroic demigod himself. "Wow! I'm sorry I missed it!" he said, crossing his arms.

Sora grinned and next turned serious. "Now I know what you meant about strength of heart. Mine comes from Donald, Goofy, Hikari, and Red XIII."

Phil's jaw dropped. "Come again?"

He gestured to his friends, confident in his assessment. "If we stick together, we're unbeatable. Not even the Hero, or Hercules would stand a chance. With these guys by my side, I'm ready for anything!"

"But that's not exactly what I—"

Hercules lifted his mentor by the armpits, stopping his speech abruptly. "Of course your friends give you strength. Isn't that right, Phil? Together, they all make great heroes." He set Phil back down. "And as a team, I'm sure you can overcome anything."

The heroes—Junior and true—clasped hands.

After Phil and Hercules left, Hikari looked over at the pedestal the satyr had asked the Keybearer to move the very first time they had visited the Olympus Coliseum. After all this time, it remained stalwart.

She crossed her arms. "'As a team, we all make great heroes,' huh?" she muttered. "Hey, guys. Do you think that if we all combined our strength, we might be able to move that pedestal?"

They exchanged looks and shrugged. "Let's try it out," Sora said.

The gang congregated on one side of the pedestal and tried out different formations so they could all push. Since there were five individuals and but one pedestal, most formations were awkward; when they formed one that worked well enough, Donald and Goofy counted to three and they all pushed. Their efforts were audible.

A moment passed, but with their synchronized efforts, they were able to push the pedestal about three feet and revealed a Keyhole underneath; Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand, and the other four individuals cleared the way.

Sora put some distance between himself and the Keyhole and looked at it thoughtfully. Next, he pointed his Keyblade at the space above it. A Beam of light left the tip and stopped directly above the lock, establishing an indirect connection. He heard the "click," telling him the Keyhole had been sealed.

He smiled and lowered the key, feeling the satisfaction that had been absent in Atlantica.

* * *

_I was five years old, I think. It was Naruto's and my fifth birthday, which also meant it was the fifth anniversary of the Nine-tailed Fox's attack. Because of this, and that the Heartless was sealed within my brother, no one really wanted to celebrate for us. My memories are fuzzy around this age, but this feeling I remember well._

_Tears rolling down my face. Sometimes, I'd have a skinned knee or a bruise from being shoved—usually "accidentally-on-purpose." A black-hole in my stomach always threatened to swallow my light._

_At this time, I didn't know that Naruto was the Fox, so it hurt more._

_That day, I had a beautifully wrapped gift for my brother; wrapped too well to have been done by me, now that I think about it. But I was happy that I could get him something that year, something that wasn't ramen (although, simpleton my brother was, he was always ecstatic upon receiving more noodles.)_

_Unfortunately, I encountered a man in the afternoon who was very drunk—he'd run into me, in his alcohol-induced state. He saw the gift and yelled at me for celebrating that day, probably because he had lost loved ones during the Nine-tailed Fox attack. His words were slurred, and he nearly turned belligerent—cursing that " little Fox boy" and his "corrupted little sister"—but his friend quieted him before he could elaborate further and ushered him along._

_I wish that the friend's actions could have been counted as kindness. As he walked away with the drunk, though, he shot a dirty look back at me—the same look that everyone in the village gave me and Naruto. He was simply abiding by the law, which stated one was to remain silent about the Fox's sealing in Naruto, so we could attempt to grow up normally._

_I frequently tried to hide my distress from my brother, but he almost always found me out. This time, he found me crying in the closet. He didn't even have to ask me what was wrong; he'd shed his share of tears that day._

_I hid my face in shame, but I accepted his attempts at solace. I didn't tell him to go away and I put my face on his shoulder when he hugged me._

_His throat was tight when he spoke. "Why do you always hafta hide it first? We're twins—it's just me 'n' you. We don't have to face them alone, we can help each other." Tears formed in his eyes. "Together, we're stronger. . . . Believe it."_

_He was always the one to cheer me up . . . he was the cheerful one, the optimistic one. After this, when we walked the village, we would be together as much as possible. We would walk holding each other's hand, which made facing those hateful gazes just a little easier. . . ._

As she lied awake in bed, Hikari thought about the day's events and how she could have better gone about certain things differently; one of these things being cheering Sora up. He was better now, of course, but she still did not like the fact that she was unable to help.

She was on her back and lifted her hand above her face, thinking of how comforting it was to hold Naruto's hand. She chuckled and blushed at the thought of applying that method, though. _It would be weird to hold Sora's hand, wouldn't it? I haven't even truly held Riku's. . . ._

Lowering her hand, she thought some more and bit her lip. _Maybe . . . I could still say something? So he knows, in the future. Maybe. . . ._ She glanced at Red XIII to make sure he was asleep. Then, she tentatively whispered Sora's name. "Sora? Sora, you up?"

Some light rustling reached her from above, and she heard a groggy voice. "Hiki? You're still awake?"

She made sure her bedmate had not stirred. "Yeah, I just . . . had some things on my mind."

"Mm. . . . Well . . . what's the matter?"

"Um. . . ." _Maybe I should've thought about where to start._ "Well, I wanted to . . . I wanted to know what Snow said to you earlier. You know, that . . . made your face red. It was something weird, wasn't it?"

He seemed more alert now. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious," she replied. Careful not to nudge Red XIII, she sat up partway and shifted to the side so she regarded the top bunk; Sora was already looking down at her, his arm also partially visible on at the edge of top bunk. "Whatever he said, he looked at me when he said it . . . and winked."

The boy hesitated and looked away. "Oh, um. . . . He said . . . 'Smile. You're someone's hero.' Then looked at you."

A light suffusion colored her face. _That . . . that guy! Where does he get off pulling a line like that? How could he even think that . . . ! Ah. . . ._ She sat up more so she no longer looked at the boy directly; the color in her face deepened. Out loud, but quietly, she thought, "Well . . . that's an embarrassing way of putting it, but in a way . . . it might be true."

Due to the reticence of night, her words reached his ears. "Huh?"

"Oh, um. . . ." _You weren't actually supposed to hear that._ ". . . You've saved me, Sora, from my Heartlessness. My heart is still missing a piece, but you kept the pieces you did have safe until I could take them back." She held the crystal hanging around her neck. "And in the meantime, you've helped my heart grow. My heart's actually pretty bright, and you've helped me realize it." Toying with the necklace, she added, "When you put things in perspective like that, I guess I owe you a thank you."

Sora blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Um, you're welcome."

"The five of us . . . we're a team," she continued. "Like you said, all of us together—we're unbeatable. The Akatsuki and Maleficent's allies may have gained a few points, but they haven't won."

Sora reacted by rolling on his back and raised his hand; he regarded his palm with a deep, pensive stare. "They've taken so many people right out from under our noses. And we still don't know for sure what happened to Kairi. Then Riku. . . ." He closed his hand and turned his head toward the open space. "I'm supposed to save these people. . . ."

"But the burden doesn't just fall on you, knucklehead," she said lightly. "We're your support. We don't expect you to do it alone, and frankly, I'm a little surprised you thought you had to. I thought you knew better. You practically forced me to feel like part of the group."

He thought for a moment about what she was referring to and remembered their visit to Deep Jungle—the point in time when Hikari finally allowed herself to call Sora, Donald, and Goofy her friends—and when he realized the duck, the dog, and the kunoichi were becoming as important to him as Riku and Kairi.

"Yeah. I realized it when I was fighting on my own. I don't know what came over me." He stared at his curled hand reflectively and the rested it at his side, palm up. "The Keyblade suddenly felt like a huge weight . . . it didn't feel like it was mine. The Keyblade_ chose_ me . . . I'm the only one who can wield it. But if I can't do what it chose me to do. . . ."

The brunette heard stirring below and rolled on his side so he could see over the edge. He saw Hikari walking over to the other side of the room, where her kunai pouch rested. "What are you doing?"

"Hold on a sec," she said, searching in the dark. There was just enough light for her to see where she walked and what she grabbed, if she extracted the item she wanted. When she was successful, she walked back to the bunk and reached up to hand it to the boy.

He sat up and took it in his hands. Squinting against the dark, he queried, "A Gummi block?"

"A Navi-G block, actually. Do you remember what these are for?"

"Uh. . . ."

"Coordinates!" she scoffed. "I told you about them, remember? You use them to locate unvisited worlds. Thing is, they come in pairs, and we don't have the partner for this one." She placed her hand on her hip. "I found it near Hades, so I'm assuming he dropped it. I think it can take us to Riku, Naruto, Alice . . . everyone that's been taken."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and stood on the edge of her bed to give her enough height to snatch the Gummi block back from Sora's hand. "Didn't you listen to me. One Navi-G only has half the coordinates—we need the other so we know exactly where to go." She stepped down and set the block next to her gear."

"I guess all we can do until we find that block is explore more worlds," said Sora. "There's more people to save out there, and more Keyholes to seal."

Hikari crawled back into bed, careful not to disturb Red XIII, and slid under the covers. "There's also sleep. Junior Heroes need their beauty rest," she teased. When she was settled, she closed her eyes. "Good night, Sora."

"Night."

**End of Chapter Forty-one**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-two: A Heartless Halloween

She passed into Guillotine Square, still holding her chest, and leaned her forehead against the wall near the door. She inhaled. _I don't understand. Why would Dr. Finkelstein have notes on someone with a curse mark? Is that person even still alive . . . ? And since when does mine hurt when I look at someone else's? Is it even because of that?_

She opened her eyes to a squint. _Did Orochimaru ever recruit scientists to assist his experiments? There's Kabuto, but. . . . Agh, I can't remember. That subject in the document—did he appear here three years ago, and Dr. Finkelstein found him? Or is it a sign Orochimaru's here?_

* * *

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review! :D**


	42. A Heartless Halloween

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "I guess all we can do until we find that block is explore more worlds," said Sora. "There's more people to save out there, and more Keyholes to seal."

Hikari crawled back into bed, careful not to disturb Red XIII, and slid under the covers. "There's also sleep. Junior Heroes need their beauty rest," she teased. When she was settled, she closed her eyes. "Good night, Sora."

"Night."

**Chapter Forty-two: A Heartless Halloween**

A figure with grotesque brown wings shaped like hands landed in the Guillotine Plaza of a world covered in continuous night. Humanoid in countenance, and male, the creature had painted purple lips covering vampire-ish fangs and had long nails consistent with claws. A black mark similar to a plus sign was plastered on the nose of its brown face, and its eyes were yellow with black sclera.

The figure collapsed on all fours and gasped for air; the darkness seeped from his skin, and many of his features transformed. His skin faded to an alabaster pigment; his nails shrank back to the quick; the wings painfully sheathed into his back, evidenced by his bitten-back grunts; his hair withdrew into his scalp until his bangs were still long, but his hair fluffed up in the back similar to cockatoo feathers. Lastly, his sclera turned white and his iris turned black.

Firelight from the lit Jack-o-lanterns reflected off his sweaty skin while he continued to catch his breath and clutched his chest; traversing the dark corridors had strained his heart. Beads of perspiration dripped onto the stone ground from his face.

Eventually, his breaths quieted and steadied, and he was able to stand. The emblem on the back of his black, wide-collared shirt resembled a red-and-white fan.

Sasuke Uchiha walked the Guillotine Square, unimpressed by the almost tacky amount of Halloween décor. Having not cared for holidays much since the days of his early youth, the night the flame of the Uchiha clan was almost entirely snuffed out, they elicited no emotional attachment from him. He could not feel even nostalgia; he hardly remembered celebrating Halloween.

Despite its festive appearance, the square was barren but for Heartless, and they too were anything except lively. Confused by their inanimate status, he stopped in front of the company of Search Ghosts and scanned them. _This place is weird._

An abrupt chorus of "Trick or treat!" drew his attention in front of him, and an icy blue pumpkin struck his face. The pumpkin exploded, but instead of fire, it consumed him in icy mist; he felt almost like he had been struck by a snowball.

He waved the "ice and snow" from his face and followed the high-pitched chortling of three mischievous brats with his gaze. The round brat was dressed as a skeleton, the girl as a witch, and the third as Lucifer. They ran as fast as their small legs could carry them.

Although he was fatigued from his inter-world travel sans vessel, he pulled out a kunai with wire attached to it and threw it. The knife traveled faster than the children and embedded itself in the ground several feet in front of them.

Sasuke formed hand seals around the wire and raised it to his mouth. _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_ He exhaled a large quantity of flame that ignited the wire at a rapid pace until it hit the kunai at the end. He heard the kids' screams as the fire engulfed them, then disappeared.

Sasuke approached the trio and cast a shadow over them. They coughed, groaned, and bickered, blaming each other for their state; they were in pain and covered in soot. The ninja's close proximity did not quiet their squabbles.

"It's all your fault," Shock accused of Lock. "If you'd run faster, we wouldn't've been caught!"

"Me? But it was Barrel's idea to make the pumpkin!"

"Hey, guys, come on! We needed something to do! Orochimaru isn't as fun lately."

The raven-haired shinobi reacted to the name and reached into his kunai pouch for more cable, which he lassoed around the kids. In a single movement, he pulled the twine tight and crouched so he was at their level. "You brats know Orochimaru?"

Barrel turned his head to face Sasuke. "Yeah, what's it to you? We did stuff for Oogie Boogie, but Orochimaru's much more fun."

"His plans are much more devious!" Lock added.

"He's also scarier," Shock shuddered; the other two followed suit.

He stood and pulled the string even tighter, making the Trick-or-Treaters wince and complain. "Shut up! I'm not interested in what you think of the guy. I want you to take me to him. I might even consider not pulling another trick on you."

The trio regarded him with resentment.

* * *

_Orochimaru was not my first teacher, but he was the first one I had outside of a classroom. He taught me most of what I know, though I was with him for only about a year. We were able to cover a lot of material since he at first taught only me, and I was a pretty quick learner._

_A lot of my training was against genin or new chuunin, but before that, I fought Heartless. You have to start out small, don't you? The biggest I'd fought were Large Bodies—the fat ones that didn't breathe fire._

_I remember one time when I was fighting one of these. It lunged at me with its body, intending to crush my tiny body. I rolled out of the way and ran toward its back. Previous experience with Large Bodies told me this was their weak point, so I tried attacking it with a kunai._

_Because of my age, size, and experience, I didn't have a lot of power, but the attacks were not unnoticed. The Large Body swung its arms and knocked me back onto my butt._

_My face heated up and I glanced over at Orochimaru, who stood at the edge of the room with his arms crossed. His expression was masked by the shadows, but I knew that if I didn't win, he wouldn't be pleased; yet he wouldn't step in, either, if the Heartless were to gain the upper hand._

_Knowing that, I launched myself onto my feet and made a few hand seals. Then, I extended my arm in front of me. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"_

_Four snakes produced themselves from my sleeve and darted toward the Large Body. Their scaly forms tightly wrapped around the dark being, constricted it, and then they sunk their fangs into the Heartless's flesh. In a snap, it combusted into dark particles and released a pink heart that floated away._

_I called the snakes back to me and they withdrew back into my skin. I heard footsteps approaching me and swallowed, feeling tension in my gut. I turned toward Orochimaru and stared at him with a wrinkle in my forehead and a tight mouth; my grip on the kunai was also so tight, my knuckles were probably white. I lost my nerve as he came close and couldn't look at him in the eye._

_Soon, he stood in front of me, and I saw his hand leave his side. I shut my eyes, waiting for his palm to strike my face._

_But he didn't hit me; he gingerly patted me on the head._

_I opened my eyes, surprised. He wasn't abusive then, but I hadn't been a stranger to people hitting me before. Receiving affection—from an adult, no less—now, that was new to me._

_I blushed and smiled, feeling my heart swell with warmth._

_You'd think my every memory of being with Orochimaru would've been waking hell, but he was actually pretty supportive of me and even kind when I did good. The moment where I received my mark tainted every happy memory I have of him, so now I can only see with angst-colored classes._

_But I used to treasure the feeling of him gently stroking my head with praise._

* * *

"Please don't do anything weird to me," Hikari warned. She stood in the center of the cockpit with her arms raised in front of her, as if protecting herself. "I mean it. No starfish bra, and I'd rather keep my stomach covered."

Donald raised his wing—which, like most of his body at present, was covered in bandages that appeared to have seen age. While they also wrapped around his beak, his speech was not impeded—any more than typical, that is. "Mummy's honor!"

"Okay." She shut her eyes and turned her cheek. "Hit me."

He quacked and raised his staff toward her, then casted the spell. An orange light shot out from his staff and hit her square in the chest, consuming her in a flash of light.

The kunoichi opened her eyes to fading Jack-o-lanterns and moon-shaped lights that had accompanied the magic. She raised her arms and twisted, checking out her attire and regarding it positively.

The duck had dressed her in a strapless navy blue dress with a slightly belled skirt stopping shortly before her shuriken holster on her thigh. The neckline plunged to her waist, held together by black strings that laced through similarly to a corset; a dark brown modesty panel masked cleavage. Brown fur collected on the neckline sans the plunge, which was lined by gold found also on the hem of the skirt. The armlets acting like detached short sleeves bore the blue and gold design as well, and the fur was also attached to the top of her knee-high black boots.

She reached up with a gloved hand to touch the brim of her large, brown, pointed hat; it was almost excessive in size, and shadowed her face. A gold band wrapped around the base of the point, and a string with a couple of beads at the end hung off the tip, similarly to how some cords with beads wrapped around her waist.

"Wow, Donald, you did goo—wait a second. . . ." Upon examining herself, she noticed her skin had become much more pale, and the locks of her hair that she could see were black as night. She walked to the front of the Gummi and examined her reflection in the wind shield; as she had appeared prior to receiving most of her heart from Sora, she had black hair, luminous yellow eyes, and purple marks on her eyelids. The shade from her hat darkened her face and made her eyes glow even more.

She straightened and put her fists on her hips. "Well. Aren't you funny?"

"Come on, you look fine," Sora said. His costume would be best described as a form of a vampire, what with his canines resembling fangs and the appearance of very small bat wings on his back. His clothing was similar in shape to his normal attire, but made of faded leather. The shoulders of his jacket had turned grey, and his round yellow shoes were now black and pointed at the toe with a grey stripe across the middle of the foot. The fingers of his gloves were pointed. His arms were covered completely by black sleeves, and his legs were wrapped with black and red bandages. Like Hikari, his face was darkened around his eyes; though part of his face was covered by an orange mask with horns, a jagged mouth, and triangular eyes, one of which was open.

"You look spookier this way," Goofy added; he also was already costumed, but he looked more like Frankenstein. All of his clothes were tattered and patched, including his tan turtleneck sweater, yellow jacket, pants that were green on one side and black on the other, and brown shoes ripped open at the toe. His ears were mangy in appearance, he had a large screw on top of his head, and at the end of his metal, pointed nose, there was a small Jack-o-lantern. One of his eyes was red and the other a grey spiral.

"In any case, it's a costume," Red XIII annexed; though "Cobalt XIV" would perhaps be more befitting of him at present. His fur had changed color to cobalt blue, and the XIII tattoo on his hip now read the roman numerals for fourteen. His left eye (his bad eye), his right foreleg, and his left hind leg were modified to resemble a cyborg. "Isn't it best to depart from one's self as much as possible?"

The kunoichi hesitated to agree and regarded her reflection once more. She tugged on the brim of her hat to bring it lower and further darken her face.

* * *

_Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloween. . . ._

Jack-o-lanterns were embedded in the cold stone walls of the square, their light assisted solely by dim lanterns and light reflected from the moon. A black wrought iron gate separated the gang from the rest of Guillotine square, which drew its name from the murderous device prominently displayed in the center. Next to it, a fountain with green goo in its plumbing also had a foreboding presence.

"This sure is a spooky place. I'll bet the people here are scary-lookin', too," Goofy nervously pointed out.

Donald responded, "Don't worry. We look spooky, too. If they scare us, we'll scare them right back!"

"You think so?"

Beyond the gate, Heartless crowded the square, a single breed rather befitting of the world's Halloween décor: Search Ghosts. Although their bodies resembled cartoony ghosts, they had distinguishable hands, pointed fingertips and wore purple long-sleeved shirts with the Heartless emblem. Like other Heartless, they had the jagged maw, but their eyes more resembled light bulbs, especially since the left eye drooped from the socket on an evident cord.

The gang drew their weapons, but then slowly lowered them when they realized the creatures were no threat; the Heartless were unmoving.

Next they noticed a figure standing toward the other side of the square. His body shape was very triangular, and he wore a suit and top hat; his bowtie was a live spider. Into a megaphone, he spoke, "And now, allow me to introduce the master of terror, the King of Nightmares—Jack Skellington!"

The Heartless had made two rows leading to the fountain and then cleared the way, unveiling he who was announced. Someone very tall and slender slowly rose from the pool of the fountain, the goo glancing off of his bones—"bones" because he was quite literally a skeleton, lacking skin, muscle, and obvious organs. The bowtie of his pinstriped suit stiffened, and he opened his eyes and arms in a fearsomely flamboyant pose.

The triangular figure—the mayor, according to his sash—scuttled from his platform and gushed reverence toward the Pumpkin King. "Bravo, Jack! Bravo! Those Heartless will be a big hit for this year's Halloween!"

"Thank you, thank you." Jack stepped out of the fountain and approached the mayor; even without added height from the fountain, he towered over everyone. He held his chin, concerned. "But their movement still needs work. It's not scary enough." He hunched. "I want to strike bone-chilling _terror_." For effect, he made a scary face. Then, he straightened and headed toward one of the buildings. "I'm going to consult the doctor," he said with a wave.

"Then I'll go attend to the decorations!" the Mayor gleefully noted.

Out of curiosity, Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII followed Jack into the building, which turned out to be a research laboratory. The bookshelves lining the walls brimmed with books, and one particularly large text was laid out on a slanted desk primarily for reading. One of the Heartless laid back on a table with adjustable height and connections to serious electronic machinery.

The gang remained inconspicuous toward the entrance, listening in as the King of Nightmares expressed his concerns to Dr. Finkelstein. "I don't understand. Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion."

The doctor's range of motion was limited to a wheelchair whose movement he controlled with a joystick on the arm. Due to this, he was rather petite, his hands in particular. A seem was evident around his cranium, and his jaw resembled a bird's beak by proportion, yet was more reminiscent of a mammalian creature inside. He wore black rubber gloves, black goggles, and a white lab coat.

"Nonsense, my guidance systems are always perfect!" the doctor insisted.

Jack folded himself in half to regard the book, and ran his bony finger along the words as he read with his eyeless sockets. "Oh, I've got it! Why, of course." He knocked his head as he had an epiphany. "The Heartless need a heart. Doctor, do you think we could add a heart to that device?"

Dr. Finkelstein turned his wheelchair around. "Certainly. A heart's not all that complicated. Let's get to work."

Jack read ahead for ingredients. "To make a heart, first take a container with a lock. . . ."

Wasting no time, the doctor found a container fitting the instruction's description; as a bonus, it actually was shaped like a heart. As he held it in his lap, he wheeled it over to the table with the Heartless, then set it on top. He examined the lock, and noticed it was sealed.

Almost whining, the doctor remarked, "We need the key to this thing first!"

Back toward the entrance of the lab, Sora summoned his Keyblade, drawing the cognizance of his friends.

"Don't even think about it!" Hikari whispered.

Donald asked, "You're really gonna unlock it for them?"

"Why not?" Sora shrugged. "If they succeed, we won't have to fight the Heartless, right? Besides, I want to see the Heartless dance, too. Don't you?"

"Not really," said Donald; Hikari's face expressed similar reservations.

The brunette ignored his friends' requests and emerged from hiding. "Hey, can I try unlocking it? I've got a key."

Finding subsequent hiding to be pointless, the rest of the party emerged as well. Hikari and Red XIII lollygagged, not eager to enter the lab much further.

The Halloween Town residents allowed the Keybearer to perform as requested, and he succeeded. He stood in front of the container and pointed his weapon at it as if it were a Keyhole. A beam of light connected the Keyblade and the container's lock, and the audible click that followed signaled to everyone it had unlocked.

"My, that was amazing!" Jack exclaimed. He turned to Sora. "Uh, and you are. . . ."

"Sora."

"Well done, Sora!" He walked until he was next to the table and the boy. "I'd like you to be a part of this year's Halloween!"

Sora pointed at the Search Ghost. "What's this Heartless doing here?"

Jack turned to the Heartless and rested his hand on his hip. "Oh, the Heartless came to town recently. What's frustrating is I can't get them to dance with me. So the doctor and I are trying to improve the guidance system." He walked toward Dr. Finkelstein, who sat in front of the book, and read over his shoulder. "Okay, Doctor. Let's continue. The ingredients for a heart. . . ."

Hikari stopped listening then and redirected her attention to the room. She was not a scientist, but laboratories felt familiar in the sense that each one harked back to Orochimaru's. Looking at jars filled with dead organisms—some jars containing parts that could have been human—she was reminded of the snake's experiments, though she was too young then to understand them.

Wandering around this laboratory created a pit in her stomach.

She came to the table where the Heartless lay and cast a melancholy gaze over it. She touched the edge with the tips of her fingers. She could not feel the cold through her gloves, but she remembered what these tables felt like.

_I woke up on a table like this after I had my tongue surgery. It was the only body modification surgery someone as young as I was could handle; I was still growing, after all, so there was no way to know what extending my neck or limbs could do._

_Funny thing is, I don't remember him forcing the change on me. I was excited then to do something that could make me like the man who I'd thought saved me, accepted me. I think I asked him after the first time I saw him use it. The truth is, though, this modification has no use except to make you look creepy._

_And . . . I don't want to be creepy._

"Ah. . . ." She glanced at Red XIII at the opposite side of the table and noticed he seemed rather uncomfortable with their current setting as well. _Red XIII . . . you said a scientist gave you that name. It sounds like something you'd call a specimen. Were you experimented on, too?_

Their eyes met so she quickly looked away, pretending she had not been staring at him. She continued exploring, walking the perimeter of the room and came across a sheet of paper that apparently slipped out from one of the files on the shelf. From her level, she could see the outline of a male human body with odd scribbles everywhere. When she picked up the paper, she skimmed some of the notes and reacted to a bruise shown to be on the subjects shoulder.

The shape of the markings differed slightly from her own, but the formation was identical; the subject of this paper bore the accursed seal.

"Tch!" The yellow-eyed girl winced and clutched her chest, the visible cursed bruise suddenly ailing her. She wrinkled the paper in her hand. _What's with this all of a sudden? This mark almost never hurts—even when I use it!_

She released the sheet of paper and snuck out of the room, struggling to act as if naught was amiss. Seeing as the others were occupied with the guidance system for the Heartless, remaining unnoticed was rather simple; only Red XIII caught her movement.

She passed into Guillotine Square, still holding her chest, and leaned her forehead against the wall near the door. She inhaled a shaky breath. _What were those notes doing here anyway? Was someone with the curse mark here? Are they still alive?_

She opened her eyes to a squint. _Could it be . . .? Did Orochimaru ever recruit scientists to assist his experiments? There's Kabuto, but. . . . Agh, I can't remember. My mark never hurt just looking at someone else's bruise. The last time it felt like this . . . was when his village . . . the Sound, and the Sand, attacked Konoha during the Chuunin Exams._

A cold, wet touch on her arm shocked her from her thoughts and interrupted the hurt, but the pit in her stomach remained. Her head snapped up, but her hands continued to touch the wall. She turned her head and made eye contact with one of her teammates; her shoulders relaxed. "Red XIII . . . ?"

Suddenly, something struck her from behind, leaving light scratches on the exposed skin. She turned on her heel, drew her blades, and felled the guilty Search Ghost hovering mere feet away. All of the previously immobile Heartless now moved around the square, many chasing the mayor.

At this time, Sora and the gang were following Jack outside. Upon seeing the King of Nightmares, the mayor called out to him. "Jack! Jack! We're in crisis! The Heartless are out of control! We can't control them!"

The skeleton scratched his skull. "Hmm . . . maybe our experiment triggered something. Don't worry, mayor. You have nothing to worry about." He spoke truth, for the Heartless turned their attention away from the elected official to the fresh meat, allowing for his escape.

Donald crossed his arms, glowered at Sora accusingly, and tapped his foot.

A few minutes was all the time necessary to vanquish the company of Heartless for the team of six. They all met near the lab's entrance.

"What experiment triggered the Heartless to become involved all of a sudden?" Hikari questioned.

"You didn't see?" Goofy queried.

"No, I . . . I needed some air."

"After Sora unlocked the container for Jack and Dr. Finkelstein, they tried to add the ingredients and link it to the Heartless, but the experiment failed," Donald retorted, crossing his arms.

The brunette tried to ignore the duck, but there was some reaction in his face. "The doctor thinks we just need to add 'Memory' and 'Surprise,' so we're going to find some."

"Sally should have the memory we need," Jack explained. He pointed at the gate behind a large wall. "Gentlemen, lady: to the Graveyard!"

* * *

Rather minuscule for a cemetery, the graveyard appeared to be more private and open than one would expect. Headstones lined the walls on the sides, and a single crypt rested at the back wall. Present too were some "spooky" statues, but the center area was empty.

A ghost dog with a lit Jack-o-lantern at the end of its pointy nose, like Goofy, awaited them; he reacted to Jack, who called out to the apparition. "Zero! Have you seen Sally anywhere?"

Zero immediately flew behind one of the tombstones, startling the person hiding behind it. "Oh!" The demure young lady stood and regarded the party.

Thin and lanky, Sally had a very ragdoll appearance, seeing as most of her body parts were sewn together. She had a small red mouth with stitches at the corners, reddish brown hair, and blue skin. Her eyes were large for her face, yet her hands and feet were particularly petite.

"Is something wrong, Jack?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, everything's going great! We're going to have the best Halloween ever. All we need now is your memory," the skeleton replied; though he was charismatic to start with, he seemed particularly upbeat.

"'Memory'? You mean this?" Sally produced a flower, a "forget-me-not," and handed it to the Pumpkin King. Shaking her head, she wrung her diminutive hands. "Jack, I have a bad feeling about this. Why don't you try something else? There's still time."

He examined the flower. "Nothing can beat what I've got planned," he replied, turning to her. "Once we give the Heartless a heart, they'll dance just as I envision it."

She put her hand on her cheek, still clearly concerned.

"Trust me, you're going to love it!" he said to her.

One could see she still was not assured, but she allowed the group's departure anyway. She lingered for moments after, gazing at the ground. Soon, she left.

Upon her leave, a chorus of cackling came from within a coffin that was slightly open. With no one around, the occupants pushed the lid out of the way and Lock, Shock, and Barrel jumped out one-by-one. They gathered in the open space.

"Did you hear that?" Barrel grinned.

Lock shared his friend's excitement. "Yeah, I sure did! A heart! What should we do?"

"Gosh, you're really stupid!" Shock reprimanded in her high-pitched, squeaky voice. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Tell Oogie Boogie/Orochimaru!"

The devil and witch gave the skeleton perplexed looks for uttering the name of the snake man. The former said, as if it were obvious, "Why would we tell him? He's interested in that chakra stuff. Taking this to him would be boring."

"Besides," added Shock, "we already brought him that guy with the duck-butt hair. We don't need to get him anything else today!"

"You're right," the little skeleton conceded, and he touched his hands together cunningly. "Then let's get to Oogie Boogie!"

* * *

When the Trick-or-Treaters passed the news on to their boss, his laugh chilled them to their bones and they shook in a corner.

"A heart? That bonehead Jack is really making a heart? I'll be jiggered! That works for me! Oh, when I get my _hands_ on that. . . . Well, I've got no hands, but I'm still gonna nab that heart and control the Heartless."

Kabuto, who had been hiding in the shadows, used his middle finger to push his glasses further up his nose; his expression was not one of amusement or mirth.

Stealthily, he slipped out of the room undetected and arrived in another dark room where Orochimaru resided. The snake man's features and bright yellow eyes were barely distinguishable in the lack of light.

"Lord Orochimaru," the silver-haired ninja respectfully addressed. "Oogie Boogie is going to steal a device that has the potential to control the Heartless. It seems the more time passes after his resurrection, the more that sack of bugs starts to act of his own volition and draw attention."

"Does he bother you that much, Kabuto?" the Sannin sneered. "Your Corpse Manipulation Jutsu was convincing, but you couldn't control him every minute. His silence drew attention. As for the Heartless. . . ." He raised his hand and moved it like he operated a puppet. "Since I pull the strings now, that would ultimately put them under my control." He lowered his hand. "We don't need to worry about him."

"Enough about the sack." Only Sasuke's eyes and the outline of his body were discernible; his hand was on his hip. "When do we begin my training?"

Orochimaru turned his head toward the teen. "Patience, my dear Sasuke. You're not ready to begin training, yet. You're still exhausted from your sojourn without a vessel. We will begin tomorrow, after you rest."

* * *

After the gang obtained the "Memory" from Sally, they obtained a Jack-in-the-Box—"Surprise"—from the mayor. Battling some Heartless along the way, they returned to the laboratory and added the ingredients to the heart.

Due to their disdain for laboratories, Hikari and Red XIII hung outside and waited for the experiment to be complete. Hikari leaned against the wall next to the door, her hands behind her back and her head slightly bowed because of the way her hat touched the wall.

She looked at Red XIII. He sat with his side facing her and continued to stare forward, seemingly not at anything in particular. He, like she, was uncertain how to break the slightly awkward silence.

"Thank you for earlier," the girl spoke up.

He turned his head toward her. "For what?"

"I was freaking out a little when I left the lab, but you followed me out and helped bring me back. I was lost in my memories." She averted her eyes. "A long time ago . . . I knew a scientist, too."

"It was no trouble," Red XIII assured. "As far as humans go, you and Sora aren't bad. You treat me as an equal. I would hate for anything to happen to you; Donald or Goofy, too, for that matter." He paused. "I've grown rather fond of you all."

She smiled, feeling a light blush on her cheeks that probably stood out on her once again pallid skin. "Animals could be regarded as pets and as equals, on my world. It wasn't super rare for a ninja to fight alongside animals or to summon creatures, who we showed respect to. Some of them were smarter than us, too."

He chuckled.

She reached up, removed her hat, and raised her head so she could gaze at the stars. One of them was Deep Jungle. "I had an animal companion at the start of this journey. He used to make me feel better, even though I was heartless. But he didn't belong with me. We parted ways when he found his human partner and best friend, Kiba."

"You must miss him."

Wryly she smiled. "I do. A lot. But, I know he's being well taken care of."

After another small break in conversation, the kunoichi replaced her hat and lowered her head to look at him. "Hey, um . . . Red XIII . . . are you sure you don't want to tell us your real name? I have my own bad memories from being with a scientist, and using a name given to you by someone who treated you as a specimen . . . ," she looked back at him, ". . . isn't it unpleasant?"

Before the azure-furred animal could reply, the lab's entryway door burst open and Lock, Shock, and Barrel sprinted out. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack followed them, but the children were long gone by the time they crossed the threshold.

"Rats! We lost them!" Sora lamented.

"What happened?" asked Red XIII.

"Those kids stole the heart!" responded Donald.

Hikari stood away from the wall and slumped. "All that running around for those parts. . . ."

Jack scanned the area, patting his knee until a little ghost dog appeared. "Zero, after them, quick!"

The dog wasted no time in dashing toward the graveyard; the kids' glee was still audible.

**End of Chapter Forty-two**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-three: Friend or Foe?

With new purpose, Hikari ran up the winding pathways of the Oogie Manor. Heartless which were not directly in her way went unnoticed, and she kicked open multiple doors during her search.

_Orochimaru's here. Sasuke's already met him._ She kicked open another door; the small room within was empty, so she pressed on. _We've been everywhere else on this world. They __**have**__ to be in this manor!_

* * *

Hey all! Sorry for the delay. I started out pretty well on this one—I thought that I might ACTUALLY get this out by Halloween XD But then I went on a tweaking spree. Especially the parts with Sasuke. Darn you Sasuke.

Anyway, disclaimers: I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. They are owned by Kishimoto, Squeenix, Walt Disney, and Squeenix again, respectively. Hikari's outfit for Halloween Town was inspired by the Black Mage of Final Fantasy, and Red XIII's "Cobalt XIV" form is taken directly from an unused plotline of Final Fantasy VII; to read more, see Red XIII's article on the Final Fantasy wikia. If need be, I can provide pictures for both Hiki and Cobalt XIV — I actually found some fan art of him ^_^ Simply mention it in a review and I'll send a link or post one in the next chapter.

So, tell me what you think. I always look forward to hearing from you. Don't be afraid to give constructive criticism—I welcome it almost as much as I do praise :3 **Thanks for reading! Please, leave a review.**


	43. Friend or Foe?

Recap: Hikari, Sora, and the gang arrive in a town obsessed with Halloween and assist in the creation of a device—referred to as the heart—which will allow Jack Skellington to control the heartless. But, the device was stolen by Lock, Shock, and Barrel to be used by Oogie Boogie!

Meanwhile, Hikari sees signs of Orochimaru's possible residence in this world, and is reminded of the time she shared with him—but not every memory is bad.

**Chapter Forty-three: Friend or Foe?**

_Why do these memories keep coming to me? These "happy" times with Orochimaru that seem to constantly play in my head since I saw those notes. Am I defending him? Am I looking at the "bright side of things, trying to get over the bad memories?_

_Do those mean the same thing?_

_No, I think there's a difference. If it's the first one, I'm being pathetic, I'm holding onto him even though he cast me aside. But the other, I'm accepting what happened, the good and the bad. If I can look at the happy times without angsting over the bad times . . . then it'll mean I've put my past behind me._

_I don't know which one describes my feelings for my former master better. My chest still tightens when I think about him. The bruise over my heart is a constant reminder of the day he tainted me, and I'm still not sure what I had when he chose me that I didn't have later._

_So many things I want to say to him . . . but if I try to practice them out loud, they're always stuck in my throat._

* * *

Zero led the gang to the outskirts of Halloween Town, where a large manor stood alone. It was elevated to great heights within a small canyon whose rock appeared to be blue under the moonlight. A small river of the same green liquid found in the Guillotine Square's fountain flowed through the valley.

A wooden bridge connected the canyon's edge to the foot of the manor. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were inside an animate bathtub that carried them up the manor's side.

"I knew Oogie Boogie was behind this!" Jack exclaimed, recognizing the location. "I don't know what he'd want with the heart, but it can't be good."

"Then let's make haste," Red XIII said.

With the cyborg in the lead, the group of six followed Halloween Town's best Trick-or-Treaters high up the estate to a part of the manor called the Evil Playroom. Right in front of the door, the kids jumped out of the tub and crossed the threshold, giggling.

"Don't let them get away!" Sora shouted, crossing through the doorway shortly after the three.

Lock, who headed the pack, reached the other side of the room and threw the heart down a pipe that ran up the side of the wall. The heart clanged as it fell down the chute; the party was too late to stop it.

In a snap, the kids were almost literally bouncing off the walls. Lock procured his slingshot and fired a myriad of small rocks at his adversaries. Shock picked up a small bucket shaped like a Jack-o-Lantern and full of candy and used it as a weapon while she swiftly spun around the room. Barrel, who was quite round anyway, tucked himself into a ball and rolled, rebounding off obstacles similarly to a pinball.

Most of Team Sora and Jack had some reservations about combatting small children, so they tried to capture and restrain the impish individuals; yet despite that some of the party was professionally trained in some form of combat, the kids proved too slippery.

Donald tried to inflict Stop on Barrel first, but he instead hit Sora; the boy paused with his arms poised to catch the faux skeleton child. Jack appeared to be dancing, his height a disadvantage as he stepped over the children and clumsily tried to grab any one of them.

Some success came in the form of Goofy holding out his shield and Shock hitting it face first and mid-spin. Her pail of treats flew out of her hand and candy scattered around the area whereas she dizzily stepped away.

"Owww!" she whined, and fell on her rump.

_One down,_ the typically blonde teen thought as she tried to catch Barrel; she hugged empty space. _Man, this is worse than those Capture the Missing Pet missions in Konoha; might even be worse than Tora, the Feudal Lord's wife's cat. That cat ran away so much, I think we all had that mission at least once. . . ._

As she straightened, a piece of candy hit her square between the eyes, and she caught it upon rebound. She frowned.

"Direct the children toward the center!" Red XIII suddenly said; he had been standing near the wall, patiently awaiting an opening, and now had his paws planted firmly on the ground, like he was preparing to cast a spell.

Jack spooked Lock away from the wall just as Goofy used his shield to rebound Barrel into the middle of the room; Shock, still recovering from her "boo-boo," was already there. Team Sora and Jack cleared the way; Sora's "clock" was unfrozen just in time.

Lock and Barrel nearly managed to vacate the spot, but Red XIII's spell was already in the works. Similar in fashion to how the breezes of Aeroga would wrap around an ally in defense, denser winds encased the kids, rivaling the natural disaster from which the spell derived its name—a Tornado.

Hikari held onto her hat so it would not be picked up by the wind and looked around for rope. A few feet away she saw some coiled on the ground. _There!_ She reached over, scooped it up, and turned toward the tornado. "Red XIII!" She tossed the other end of the rope to him.

The four-legged cyborg lowered his head and caught the end thrown to him with his teeth. As the tornado died down, he and the yellow-eyed teen ran circles around the kids and wrapped the rope around them before they had the chance to run away. When their bonds were sufficiently tight, Red XIII handed the rope to Hikari and she crouched to tie the knot.

The rest of the team plus Jack gathered around them, and Hikari straightened and stepped back. She adjusted the hat atop her head.

Lock whined, "We were just following orders! Oogie Boogie told us to steal the heart!"

Shock, just as bitter, pouted. "It's all Barrel's fault! It was his idea to tell Oogie Boogie about the heart!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

Barrel turned his head to his friends. "B-but you guys said . . . !"

"You should be ashamed!"

Hikari towered over them with her arms crossed. Her eyes darkened due to the angle at which she tilted her head. "I don't care whose idea it was. We need to know where Oogie Boogie and the heart are. Tell us!"

All three kids recoiled at the sight of her mug; they looked at her and registered her appearance for the first time. Each one of them gasped in turn.

"Her face . . . !"

"She looks . . . !"

"Just like . . . !"

The dark-haired girl's eyes were shadowed, and she pursed her lips. _A Heartless, I know._ "Just forget about my face—"

". . . Orochimaru!" they all finished.

"Wh . . . ?" She returned her gaze to them and stood straighter, the nerves in her back suddenly prickling. _How . . . how do they know his name?_ Her eyes narrowed and she clicked her tongue.

The interrogation continued as everyone ignored Hikari's reaction. Jack asked again, "Where is Oogie Boogie?"

Again, they spoke in turn, by order of Lock, Barrel, and Lock/Shock. "We're not tellin' ya!"

"Yeah! You'll never find the green door!"

"Shhhh!"

"A 'green door'?" Sora repeated.

Donald looked up at him. "It looks like that's all we're gonna get out of them." He looked back at the little imps and dreaded the thought of them running wild again. His tone was almost hopeful when he asked, "Are we going to leave them tied up?"

Jiminy, who had apparently been riding in Sora's hood all the while, jumped onto the brunette's shoulder. "They're kids, not prisoners. Besides, I think they understand the consequences now if they misbehave."

"We sure do!" said Lock; his comrades nodded in agreement.

Although he was a little reluctant to, Sora bent over to untie the trio of tricksters. Seemingly, the terrible three would behave; they simply turned away from the gang and walked toward the table against the wall bearing pumpkin juice.

"Okay, let's go find that door," Sora said. He and the rest of the party turned and walked out of the playroom, everyone except Hikari.

"Right behind you," she said, but she lingered. Her countenance expressed unease, and she dithered; then, she strengthened her expression and addressed the children's backs. "Hey. How do you know the name 'Orochimaru'?"

They all turned their heads over their shoulders at her; Shock, who was in the middle, spun around and put her hands on her hips. "We aren't telling you anything! Not after what you did to us."

"I'm sorry. . . ." Hikari pondered how to persuade them to talk. Seeing how mad they were, she was not sure pleading her case would make them feel sympathy for her; the eyes they looked at her with were contemptuous and begrudging, just like the villagers from long ago.

_Maybe if I give them something, they'll cooperate._ Her hand tightened around something already in her grasp, so she raised it up and looked down at her palm. Then, she extended a peace offering toward them. "Please? I have candy. . . ."

"That's a cough drop!" Lock debunked.

She looked at it again and tossed it aside. "Listen, the guy is bad news. He . . . he played a trick on me in the past." She crouched down to their level and looked them each in the eye. She touched Barrel and Lock's shoulders. "You guys like to play tricks on other people, but I bet you don't like to be tricked yourselves."

The kids were quiet for a moment and exchanged looks. Barrel was the one to speak. "Look, we don't want to be on his bad side either. He's scary!"

"But he's going to give us a treat for bringing him that broody guy with a fan on his back," said Lock.

The description clicked quicker than it should have, and she shut her eyes. _Sasuke. . . ._

Her body shook with mild tremors and she took a few steps back. Her blood ran cold, and she pulled her hair at her temples. _But Orochimaru . . . he's really here. I knew there was a chance I'd run into him—ever since the Sound Four came after me, I knew. But now . . . it's real—it's __**too**__ real!_

She inhaled sharply and recalled that at the close of her encounter with the Sound Four, she sent a Heartless after her former master with a letter threatening his life. She did not have much of a capacity for fear . . . then.

Vigorously, she shook her head. _N-no . . . I have to pull myself together! Sasuke . . . Sasuke's what really matters._ She lowered one hand and narrowed her eyes at it sadly; this hand was the one Krystal had grasped so warmly with both hands, speaking words of friendship. _To me, he was just a crush, but for Krystal. . . ._

She closed her hand and wore a deliberate expression. _I won't let Orochimaru have him._

She snapped back to the kids abruptly. "He's around here somewhere, isn't he? It's pretty remote, ideal for that snake. I don't need your help. I'll find Sasuke myself."

She turned on her heel and ran out the door in her friends' footsteps.

* * *

Meanwhile, familiar faces arrived at the Guillotine Gate. Krystal and Sai exited a Gummi Ship he had obtained sometime before he met her at the Olympus Coliseum.

Krystal peered through the gate into the square. She was already dressed appropriately for the town of Halloween, though she opted for a costume more "dark" than "scary." She wore a simple ankle-length dress with thin straps; the torso was grey with a dark rose print and the skirt was black, like her flat sandals. In addition, she had a black hood lined with red that remained down and covered her shoulders; elbow-length glovelets covered her forearms, and a dark rose adorned each wrist.

Her mouth, currently painted red, formed a broad smile, and she turned to Sai. "Wow! Look at all of these Halloween decorations! Tee hee, this world could be fun!"

Sai, who still wore his normal attire, stared blankly back at her; he was uncertain what to do with her sudden spike in mood.

Slowly, Krystal's smile faltered and she faced forward, taking her eyes off her companion. Her gaze softened. "If even you could see through it, then my acting must really suck. I'm never that bubbly, even if I am in a good mood." She held herself and looked at the town again. "I just had a funny feeling, in my stomach." She touched her belly. "Like . . . could _he_ be here?"

"Are you having menstrual cramps?"

She blushed and glared at him. "Why are you asking about that!?"

Genuinely confused, he replied, "A 'funny feeling' could be anything, and according to a book I read, sometimes pain in a woman's stomach can be attributed to her period—which can also cause emotional disturbances. And you have no reason for stage fright, because you aren't giving a performance. . . ." He reached into his backpack, pulled out a book, and thumbed through the pages. "Could there be another reason . . .?"

_Oh . . . he's trying to be nice,_ the light-eyed girl realized. She crossed her arms and averted her eyes. "Forget it. For future reference, guys and girls don't really talk about that stuff with each other. It actually makes most guys feel uncomfortable, and can make some girls mad." _Sakura might've pummeled you into the ground._

She looked back at him and noticed he was making notes in his books; she struck her palm with her face. "Sai . . . people'll think you're weird if you pull out a book when you're talking to them. It's awkward. Put it away, will ya?"

"Oh . . . yes," he responded sheepishly; with a light pink suffusion coloring his face, he put the book away.

Her face softened. _He's a little cute, like that . . . in an awkward way._

"I suppose now I should come up with my own disguise," he thought aloud and then pondered the design of his costume. Next he made the seal for the Transformation Jutsu. After a small puff of smoke covered him, Krystal waited for it to clear; she was not prepared for what she saw.

He wore a white sheet with two holes for eyes.

Krystal laughed hysterically, doubling over and holding her gut as the sounds of her amusement reverberated through the gate area. "A-a-a ghost? Really!? Oho, hoho, hohohoho . . . !"

After a few more moments of laughing, she became less audible, though her shoulders still shook and she tried to hide a smile. "A ghost isn't bad, but just a white sheet? Sorry, but that's lame. We can do better than that." She gazed at him and held her chin. "Let's see. . . ."

* * *

With new purpose, Hikari ran up the winding pathways of the Oogie Manor. Heartless which were not directly in her way went unnoticed, and she kicked open multiple doors during her search.

_Orochimaru's here. Sasuke's already met him._ She kicked open another door; the small room within was empty, so she pressed on. _We've been everywhere else on this world. They __**have**__ to be in this manor!_

"Hiki, wait up!" Sora called; he and the others struggled to keep up, not so ready to leave the dark beings be; their occupation with the creatures was the precise reason Hikari was able to catch up to them. He felled a Wight Knight and chased after her again. "What about the Heartless?"

"Leave them!" she yelled, barely turning her head to project her voice back at them. "They'll just keep coming back!"

Suddenly, four Wight Knights materialized in front of her, blocking the way. She stopped and performed the hand seals for _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu_. "I don't have time for you!" The massive ball of flame escaped her lips and did not fully incinerate the Heartless, but damaged them enough to clear the path. Hikari moved on and Sora and the gang finished the Heartless in her wake.

The kunoichi reached the top of the manor and came to a green door bearing a frightful visage. She stood in front of it; her shoulders rose and fell with deep breaths. _The green door. . . . This is where Oogie Boogie is, right? If Dr. Finkelstein has a corpse with a curse mark, who knows how Orochimaru's connected with the people here?_

Calmly, she pushed the door open with both hands; what lied beyond could be described best as a "Torture Chamber." Different devices lined the circular room, some appear similar to toys. The room had multiple tears, and the lowermost floor resembled a roulette table. The gang entered on the middle tier.

On the other side of the room, a tier above, stood a dark figure; his alabaster skin and white shorts glowed in the black light.

Hikari reacted to this figure, but Jack spoke up. "You aren't Oogie Boogie! Who are you?"

The figure snorted. "It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's. Don't you know good manners?"

Brighter light filled the room, and the figure was no longer obscure. Although it seemed off to give names then, Sora gestured to his comrades. "I'm Sora. This is—"

"Don't bother, Sora." Hikari stepped forward. "He isn't really interested. He's taunting us. Sasuke's arrogant like that."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the yellow-eyed teen. Somehow, he had come to possess the heart, and held it under his arm. His bangs shaded his face. "How do you know my name?"

"Hiki, you know him?"

The Uzumaki nodded in response to Goofy's inquiry and took a step forward, though due to the pit below, she did not close the gap by much. She reached up and touched the discolored part of her skin on her eyelids and closed her eyes.

"Don't let this face fool you. I'm really blonde and have grey eyes, but considering the theme of this world, I needed something spookier." She opened her bright yellow eyes and gazed at him coldly. "You're teammates with my brother."

This seemed to further Sasuke's disdain as he leered at her facial features. "You do look like the dunce."

"His name is Naruto!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Like you care."

She clicked her tongue. _What's that supposed to mean? Is that . . . hate in his eyes?_

Sora looked back and forth between the ninja, noting their derisive expressions. Typically, the people they met from Hikari's world were allies—save for members of the Akatsuki, defined by their black coats with red clouds. He looked at Sasuke. _I don't get it. . . . Is this guy friend or foe?_

He looked at Hikari. "Hiki, who is this guy?"

She did not look at him. "I said his name already. It's Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

_Sasuke . . . Uchiha?_ "Oh!" The brunette's eyes widened and he whipped his face toward the dark-eyed shinobi. "You're Krystal's 'Uchiha'!"

He reacted to his teammate's name for a split second, and his face turned red; angrily, he shouted, "The Uchiha don't belong to anybody!"

"That's not what I meant . . . ," Sora muttered quietly and looked down. _Krystal said this guy's an avenger. He wants to kill his brother for something . . . 'unforgiveable.' He wants to follow the path of darkness . . . like Riku._

He closed his hands and tightened his brow. "Why did you take the heart?"

He took the heart from under his arm and held it in front of him. If one were look at him with byakugan eyes, they would have seen chakra feeding into the device from his hands; to the naked eye, one could see the device leak darkness. "Power," he said simply. "The Heartless are brainless, but some of them are pretty strong. Controlling them would bring me one step closer to having my revenge."

The gang drew their weapons and awaited the arrival of an expected flood of Heartless. Black fog hung on the floor directly in front of the black-eyed nin in a large mass, but when it dissipated, only one Shadow Heartless appeared.

Sasuke clicked his tongue.

Then, another mass entered the room, a sack shaped like a drooping star. He was round and had black eyes and a wide mouth. "Just one!? Buahahahaha!" He slammed his hip into Sasuke and caught the device, which had flown from the shinobi's hands. "Move over, _small fry!_ You've got to put in more _feeling!_"

From the floor, Sasuke swept his leg under Oogie Boogie's feet in retaliation. He did not try to retrieve the heart when the sack of bugs fell on its rear and struggled; instead, he stood. "It's defective," he remarked flippantly. "Worthless."

Hikari's hands gripped her tantos firmly. _Or your heart still has some light, enough that the Heartless don't recognize you._ "Sasuke!"

He looked at her but did not reply. Near him, the alternate opening through which Oogie Boogie had entered started closing quickly, so he ran for it, uninterested in continuing their encounter.

Hikari clicked her tongue and dashed after him; she used chakra to increase her speed, so she appeared to be a shadowy blur. She slipped through the exit when Donald called her name, and it closed behind her.

"We'll worry about her later," said Sora, and he turned his attention back to Oogie Boogie, who finally managed to get on his feet. "For now, let's take care of this guy."

The others nodded; Jack pointed at his adversary. "Oogie Boogie, give me back the heart!"

He smiled. "You want it? Well then, come over and get it!" Oogie Boogie lifted the heart above his chin, tilted his head back, and dropped the device almost directly in his gullet. He forced himself to swallow.

Jack's mouth formed a perfect circle, and Oogie Boogie laughed. "Now, let's see if I can get their attention." He spread his stubby arms and arched his back. "Oh Heartless!"

Two orbs of dark smoke wafted into the room on either side of Oogie Boogie. At the sack's flanks, they changed form into Gargoyle Heartless, which somewhat resembled the architectural gargoyles from which they derived their name.

Like other Heartless, they had bright yellow eyes and a jagged maw, though their jaw allowed for great separation. Their attire consisted mostly of purple, including their face, their body suit, and sleeves. Their hands and feet—the latter of which resembled ragged pigeon toes—were dark grey. Horns extended from the top of their heads, striped with varying shades of purple.

Oogie looked between the two dark beings and immediately hunched over and arched his brow. "This is it? Really!?" He fisted—or rather, the stubby corners of his sack body rolled up a little—and shouted. "Nobody disrespects me! Nobody!"

Suddenly, an unseen force kicked Team Sora and Jack into the level below. Bars rose at the edge of the level they previously stood on, keeping them from jumping up and thus protecting Oogie Boogie from direct assault.

From this angle, they saw that the previous level was an overhang for numerous devices that would likely deal damage. On the roulette table-style floor on which they stood, some oddly shaped stones circled the column in the center.

The gang prepared to fight.

* * *

_Sasuke Uchiha really was nothing more than a crush to me. Truth is, I was probably more interested in being a fan than I was in the actual guy. Villagers mostly ignored me and Naruto, so I wanted to be a part of something. When the girls also thought I liked Sasuke, they acknowledged me—even if we were just fighting over what kind of girl he liked._

_It's not like I was lying, though. He did give me butterflies, and I did think he was cute. For the most part, he treated me like I was a waste of his time, but he treated everyone that way. Probably only once did he look at me a little differently, and that was shortly after I returned home to Konoha._

_When Iruka-sensei taught us the Transformation Jutsu, Sasuke and I were partners. We were eight or nine, and he was slightly taller than me._

_Other than height, not a lot changed about the way he looked. His hair was the same, he wore white shorts and a wide-collared top; the only differences in what he wore was that the shirt was black and had long sleeves. His expression was just the same._

_And me? I had short hair barely reaching passed my chin, which defied the widely held belief that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. (My hair would've been long if I hadn't gotten gum in it a week before and had to cut it.) I wore a sleeveless raglan shirt with the kanji for heaven written on my chest and pink capris. _

_My face was intensely red; not only was I partnered with my crush, but being his partner also netted me a lot of attention._

_I linked my arms behind my back and my heels touched. "You can go first, Sasuke. Make you look like me."_

_He grunted and stepped forward. He didn't like having a partner, much less a fangirl._

_I watched with sparkling eyes as he coolly formed the needed hand seal and closed his eyes, concentrating his chakra. Then, he opened his eyes and smoke consumed his frame. "Transformation Jutsu!"_

_I eagerly waited for the smoke to clear, expecting a perfect—maybe even somehow cuter, as if that was how he saw me—resemblance. Instead, my face faltered at the ugly mass of features in front of me: Sasuke made me morbidly obese, the height of a toddler, sickly pale, and jaundiced. The only feature he had right was the color of my hair._

_Some of the girls laughed, taking it as a dig against me. "Haha, that looks perfect! That's exactly how Sasuke sees you!"_

_I blushed furiously. "Shut up!"_

_Smoke covered Sasuke again when he stopped the jutsu. He clicked his tongue for his failure, but I think he forgave himself a little because other students were having worse luck, barely able to change a single feature of themselves, let alone every one. "Just go," he said without looking at me._

_I nodded and made another hand seal. Like Sasuke had, I closed my eyes and concentrated my chakra. Then, I opened my eyes and released. "Transformation Jutsu!"_

_Smoke consumed my body. My features changed. I grew taller, slightly boxier, and my hair shortened and lengthened in different spots. When the smoke cleared, two identical Sasukes were in Iruka-sensei's classroom._

_. . . Orochimaru had taught me that move months before._

_My success received mixed reaction. Naruto, Iruka-sensei, and some of the other students praised me, only able to tell who was who by the way we acted. I smiled and linked my arms behind me . . . until I heard muttered comments from the girls._

"_Tch! That doesn't look like Sasuke at all."_

"_Who does she think she is?"_

"_She just wanted to show us up."_

_And Sasuke, he did look impressed. But not in the "she's awesome" kind of way. His mouth was open, and he continued to scowl; he didn't like to be beaten, ever. He looked like he hated me._

_But at least for a while, he took me seriously._

_Whatever the case, the girls pretty much ignored me after that. Showing my ability, and it being above my classmates', was just another reason for me to get dirty looks and hushed tones. So, from then on, I held back. I did as badly as I could at a technique until some or most of the kids did it well. And eventually, the girls let me be a fangirl again._

_Sometimes, I wonder how things would be if I'd stayed with Orochimaru, or if I hadn't held back. I would've become stronger a lot faster. Maybe I'd be a jonin by now, or even stronger. I could've had power._

_Power is what Sasuke wants. And Orochimaru—he's ready to give it. To learn from a Legendary Sannin—it's a great opportunity._

_But not this Sannin. He preys on you. He manipulates you. He __**brainwashes**__ you; so many people in that compound let him throw their lives away, and he didn't care. He'd take Sasuke's life just to use his body._

_For Krystal._

_For Sasuke._

_For me._

_Especially in Sasuke's body . . . Orochimaru can't go on!_

* * *

She could not let him get away. This thought repeated itself to Hikari as she pursued the avenger. With the same frantic sense of urgency that drove her to the zenith of Oogie Manor, she ran with her weapons withdrawn and blindness toward the Heartless; though a number materialized, she left them behind.

Her eyes scanned the area around her and she spotted him running on the level below. Coming up on her right, a branch-like protrusion reached from under the wooden pathway. She jumped off the side, grabbed the branch, and swung herself directly toward Sasuke's back. As if the fan on his shirt were a target, she fell on top of him.

However, his body was consumed in smoke, and she straddled a log.

_Ah! Substitution Jutsu!?_

Before she could continue the thought, the Uchiha grabbed her arms from behind and pulled her back; then he slipped under so he could launch her into the air with a hard kick. Seemingly without effort, he jumped and positioned himself directly beneath her, like the shadow of a dancing leaf.

"Why did you follow me?" he demanded to know.

"Couldn't've been that big of a surprise, since you lied in wait," she said simply. She twisted to counterattack, but he grabbed her wrist and used her as leverage so he came out on top, facing her. He continued his _Lion Combo_, striking her multiple times midair until he threw her and she crashed into the ground. To end the combo, he let himself descend and land with his knee in her gut.

The kunoichi's eyes bulged and she coughed violently. She rolled over onto her hands and knees, appearing to take a brief moment for recovery. When Sasuke rushed in to try and continue the assault, however, she disappeared from in front of him and reappeared behind him.

Hikari grabbed Sasuke by his back, lifted him off his feet, turned, and threw him toward the wall. He hit it not with a crash but a _tak,_ for he twisted and touched it with the bottoms of his sandals. Almost immediately he kicked off and threw numerous kunai and shuriken at her.

She effortlessly dodged the weaponry and performed a string of hand seals. While her opponent was still in midair, she reached toward him and four green snakes sprouted from her forearm to trap him. He could not dodge or block them, so they wrapped around his wrists, neck, and waist.

Unflinching, Hikari shoved him into the wall with the snakes. She wiped saliva from her chin on the back of her hand from when he had used his _Lion Combo,_ and looked up at him. At some point, she had lost her hat. "I didn't come here to fight. I came here to talk to you."

He glowered. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say."

She snorted lightly. "I don't see how you have a choice in the matter, given your position." She flipped her hair back without moving her hands. "You'll listen."

**End of Chapter Forty-three**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-four: Cold-Hearted Snake

Then, she sheathed her blades again. She was ready to try to follow Sasuke when another figure emerged from the manor wall behind her and spoke. "Little Hikari Uzumaki. Oh . . . you just can't stay away, can you?" he tutted.

Hikari stood rigid, and a chill ran down her spine. Her breath caught in her throat, and she experienced palpitations. _That . . . that voice. . . . No. . . ._ Her knees trembled, only partially due to exhaustion. She swallowed and slowly turned her head until she could see him from the corner of her eye; she froze.

There stood her former master, one of Konoha's three Legendary Sannin. His countenance was precisely akin to her remembrance of him, what with a pasty, snaky visage partially covered by his long black hair. More than ever, gazing at him with her bright yellow eyes, she could see how she resembled him when she was heartless—and now. She even had the purple shadows, which only further served the reptilian theme.

* * *

**Okey doke, so as much as I'd love to get into gushy detail over this chapter, I am squeezing this post in between my classes, so I unfortunately don't have time XD I do wish to ask, though: do you guys prefer the full summary-type recaps, or the recaps with the last few paragraphs of the previous chapter? Please leave a review and let me know! ^_^ Oh, and thank you to everyone who does review consistently. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!**


	44. Cold-Hearted Snake

Recap: Unflinching, Hikari shoved him into the wall with the snakes. She wiped saliva from her chin on the back of her hand from when he had used his _Lion Combo,_ and looked up at him. At some point, she had lost her hat. "I didn't come here to fight. I came here to talk to you."

He glowered. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say."

She snorted lightly. "I don't see how you have a choice in the matter, given your position." She flipped her hair back without moving her hands. "You'll listen."

**Chapter Forty-four: Cold-Hearted Snake**

The first thing Donald did from the roulette wheel was cast Thundaga. A great quantity of lightning bolts rained on Oogie Boogie's level, directly hitting him as well as his Heartless companions. The latter took evident damage whereas the former appeared to be unaffected.

Sora jumped high and casted Blizzara. Although much of the ice passed through the bars and struck his adversary, the bug bag felt only a slight chill.

Next Jack tried Firaga and Red XIII used Graviga; the latter, whose large area consumed both Oogie and the Gargoyles, flattened the Heartless and claimed their lives, but the Boogie Man stood tall.

"Oh, stop it! That _tickles!_" he laughed.

"He's immune to our magic," observed Red XIII.

Goofy threw his shield, but the bars deflected it. "How are we supposed to get up there and fight him?"

Unshaken by the loss of his Heartless henchmen—though he had no reason to care—the Boogie Man produced a pair of dice. He threw them into the roulette wheel. "Let's get this party started!"

The dice expanded as they fell and resembled small ottomans when they rolled on the ground; Sora dodged one when it nearly fell on him. Together, when the dice stopped rolling, they read six.

_Now what?_ wondered the brunette.

Jack's attention was diverted to three anthropic machines wearing cowboy hats atop their noggins and bearing slots on their chests when they suddenly moved. Their eyes lit red, and their arms—like the levers of a slot machine—cranked down. At the end of the rod, they each held a gun.

"Look out!"

The machines shot once, and Team Sora along with Jack scurried out of the bullets' paths. One bullet grazed the Pumpkin King's arm, since he had been standing closest, but the damage was minimal.

Oogie Boogie threw another pair of dice, and this time he rolled nine. Toward the sound of mechanical release, the gang looked overhead and watched a giant, three-bladed contraption fall almost in a snap. The center of the contraption lined up with the middle of the roulette wheel, and the blades extended to the full radius, so there was no escaping its reach.

The contraption touched the ground and separated the group, initially missing everyone. Then, it bounced up, rotated around the center, and swiftly came down again. The fivesome ran around the circle to avoid the trap until it returned to the ceiling.

Once again, Oogie threw more dice and they landed directly in front of Donald and Goofy. "Snake eyes" stared back at them, and the dice exploded; they yelped.

"Heal!" Sora cast Cura on his friends, absolving them of the brunt of the damage.

"Buzzsaw~!" Oogie sang, and he threw in more dice. Now they read ten.

Although Oogie's control over the dice was dubious, he guessed correctly. At a time when all of the gang was scattered because of the three-bladed device, Sora heard a loud buzzing almost directly behind him and turned to find a circular blue-and-yellow saw sweep across the floor.

He squeaked and jumped before the saw would cut through both his ankles. "Jump!"

The buzzsaw bounced around the roulette wheel like a pinball until it slid back into the chamber whence it came; thankfully, no limbs were lost in the process, as everyone managed to avoid the serrated circumference.

Yet again, Oogie Boogie threw dice, this time directly toward Goofy. The Royal Knight raised his shield above him to avoid a direct hit to the head, and due to his timing, he rebounded a die back to Oogie. It hit the gang's adversary, and momentarily dizzied him.

The stones surrounding the center of the roulette wheel glowed, and Goofy stumbled on one. Bars rose and separated the wheel into six parts, and one—where Goofy stood alone—was elevated to the same level as Oogie Boogie. On that level, too, however, sections were closed off, and one could not reach the Boogie Man.

Almost in unison, the gang realized their strategy.

Red XIII examined the sack of bugs. _He isn't immune to physical assault. And if we step on the stone as it glows, and are in line with Oogie Boogie, then we will be raised to the same section as him and have the opportunity to fight him directly._

* * *

Although Sasuke glared daggers at her, Hikari spoke. "Krystal told me why you want power. She also told me that Orochimaru visited you during the Chuunin Exams, and promised you some. Then he bit you, and marked you with the cursed seal. The only thing she wouldn't say . . . is what your brother did to make you so mad."

He averted his eyes but continued to scowl. "She shouldn't run her mouth about things she can't understand."

"She cares about you, Sasuke. She doesn't want your heart to be consumed by darkness and hate."

"Hate is the only emotion I need, and if that means my heart's consumed by darkness, then that's fine. I don't care what happens to me or what I have to sacrifice . . . so long as it serves my revenge. That's always been my purpose in living."

The kunoichi's face saddened. "I'm not going to get up on a soap box and tell you revenge is no way to live, and I'm not going to tell you that biting the forbidden fruit isn't sweet . . . ," she touched her stomach, ". . . but it can also make you feel sick. . . ."

"Just shut up! What the hell do you know about it?"

Her brow tightened and she pulled down the top flap of her dress just enough to bare her mark, to which Sasuke reacted. "Because Orochimaru drew me in, too!" She stared at him coldly, and when he said nothing, she replaced her top and continued. "I'm not interested in telling you how to live your life, so I won't try to tell you not to take revenge. But I will tell you this: whoever does help you, it won't be Orochimaru. I'll make sure of that."

He stared into her stony grey eyes, noting the emotion behind them. They were hurt. They were sad. They were betrayed. They were _pathetic._ They were nothing like his eyes, onyx orbs hardened from bearing witness to the travesty of the Uchiha Massacre, thirsting for the blood of the weasel responsible.

"You're lying," he said simply. "You don't have the strength or the nerve."

She recoiled and curled her hands; her eyes shimmered. "There's something in me that he liked. Something, or he never would've wasted his time with me. He just wants you for your Sharingan!"

"I don't care!" he snapped back. "I already told you, I'm willing to sacrifice whatever I have to: my heart, my body, or my Sharingan. Anything." Red-orange markings emanated from his shoulder and crossed his body like a spreading flame. "And I won't let you get in the way!"

As if burned, the snakes retreated from the darkness-tainted chakra radiating from the seal. While the slithering reptiles loosened their grip on the boy, he performed a string of hand signs; they were a sequence familiar to Hikari, so she attempted to withdraw the snakes as quickly as she could.

Three snakes made it back into her arm, but Sasuke grabbed the fourth by the neck and held two fingers of his other hand in front of him. Chakra concentrated to the soles of his feet kept him from falling off the wall as he breathed a torrential burst of flame on the snake, using it as a conductor.

Reacting fast, Hikari drew a tanto and sliced clean through the body of the snake so she could tumble out of the flame's way. She rolled over the edge and glued herself to the wall underneath; although the flame was strong, it did not light the wood, nor did the force break through.

While the wood was still warm, he broke through it and knocked Hikari off the wall. He grabbed her by her ankles, wrapped his legs around her waist, and drove her head first into the ground. Thankfully, he managed only about a story or two, to one of the manor's lower levels.

Somehow, she remained conscious. The Uchiha jumped away from her some distance, allowing her some recovery time; perhaps some for himself, too, having traveled to this world without a vessel only a few hours prior.

From a position where her feet stuck straight in the air and her cranium nearly created a dent in the floor, the kunoichi bent at her waist until her knees touched the ground and she grunted. Blood seeped from her hairline at her temples. Her hand still weakly gripped the tanto, while the other reached and touched the yellow gem decorated with a purple diamond on her wrist. _Granny. . . ._

As quickly as she could muster, she touched her head again. Her hand glowed green as she administered some of Tsunade's medical ninjutsu to offset a potential concussion. _It's a miracle he didn't fracture my skull. . . ._

While Hikari continued to heal, Sasuke ran toward her again, determined not to allow her full recovery. She had enough time to cure her double vision at least, so she immediately ceased treatment and performed a string of hand seals. He was merely feet away when she yelled at him. "Get back!"

She raised her hand in front of her, as if something was resting in her palm, and blew. The violent gusts of _Wind Style: Great Breakthrough_ swooped Sasuke off his feet and sent him flying at a great velocity away from the girl, almost at the other side of the manor without sending him off the edge or curving his horizontal trajectory.

_I guess I brought this on myself,_ she thought, administering more medical aid to her head. _I should've known he wouldn't take a threat against Orochimaru well._ The pain in her head subsided almost completely when she stood and drew her other tanto. _But if I can stop him from being with Orochimaru . . . stop Orochimaru from having his body and the Sharingan . . . it'll be worth it._

_The Sharingan. . . . I don't really know a lot about it—just that it's an eye jutsu, and that the Uchiha and Kakashi-sensei have it. But apparently, you can copy jutsu with it, maybe because you can see things better than a normal ninja. . . ._

She averted her eyes from her opponent, who was rising to his feet a long distance away, and thought of the gems on her wrist and the mark over her heart. Without a doubt, he would activate his ocular jutsu if he had not already, and he was in the cursed state; against him, buffing herself similarly seemed reasonable.

_No._ She shook her head and regarded Sasuke once more. _This time, I'll only use my own power. I'll defeat Sasuke with my own strength. _Wind-natured chakra extended the blades of her tantos, and she raised them; she made a short sequence of hand seals, the last of which was Tiger, the sign of flames. _I'll prove I'm worth something._

Fire passed through her lips, just enough to catch the wind chakra in her blades and set them aflame. _Blades of Fire!_

Sasuke sneered. _Finally, she's getting serious._ He too performed a few hand signs and pulled out a kunai. Water collected around the small knife like a vortex and extended the blade. He held the knife in a reverse grip and closed the distance between them. _Water Style: Clinging Grand Whirlpool._

He swung upward with the water blade, and Hikari crossed her fiery tantos to guard herself. Although the former was not comprised of something solid, it held up against the latter. Surprisingly, the fire also was not extinguished by the water.

_Not that surprising,_ Sasuke thought. _Wind-chakra strengthens fire jutsu, so a simple water jutsu won't cut it._

Almost before she even performed further action, he saw and predicted change, due to his activated Sharingan; Hikari's lip curled as the flame of her blades grew ever so slightly. Sasuke retreated milliseconds before the flames would consume him.

Like a vortex, the flame erupted around the yellow-eyed teen and she launched the spiraling mass of flame toward the Uchiha. Where he stood, the fire turned upward, like a fiery tornado. While the cover was wide, she realized the Sharingan might have found an opening before she would, so she remained alert, especially since she could not see her adversary through the conflagration.

Just when the kunoichi thought she might receive no response, a daunting amount of shuriken—more than the array thrown prior—shot through the inferno, signaling her attack had failed. She twisted, stretched, and tried to deflect as many as she could, but she still ended up with two embedded in her right thigh, various cuts on her limbs, and a laceration on her cheek.

She winced and grit her teeth. Her skin glistened with sweat from being near so many source of heat as well as from weariness; fire jutsu required a lot of chakra. As an Uzumaki, she had a naturally extensive supply, but that would only sustain her for so long.

The fire cleared, and she could see Sasuke about twenty-feet away. He appeared to be worse for the wear; his shoulders rose and fell with deep breaths, and he also perspired heavily. He further released the seal so he could access more chakra.

_I haven't landed a scratch on him since he activated the seal,_ she thought. _How can he look so bad?_ She remembered sensing low chakra levels prior. _Unless, he was already tired._ She ceased feeding chakra into her blades, and the flame-and-wind combo dissolved. She sheathed the blades. _I need to get closer. If I can get close enough, and be fast enough—even if he can see it coming, he might not be able to dodge it._

* * *

Back in the Torture Chamber, Sora and the gang continued circumventing devices determined by the roll of Oogie Boogie's dice. After several rounds, they recognized which device would be triggered by the most frequently occurring rolls.

"Snake Eyes." Exploding dice.

Six. Slot shots.

Nine. Three-bladed device, bouncing.

Ten. Buzzsaw.

Miraculously, none of them sustained serious injury; they also saved their strength, awaiting the moment those gems in the roulette wheel would glow.

Oogie rolled the dice again, and they turned up nine. The three-bladed contraption descended from the ceiling and bounced, rotating around the space. As they had multiple times before, they avoided the blades.

When the blades ascended, Donald looked over at the gems. He frowned, gripped his staff tighter, and squawked, "Why aren't the gems glowing yet!?"

Jack paused and touched his chin. "Maybe they didn't light on their own before. What if something triggered their illumination, and we just haven't done whatever that catalyst is?" His brow deepened, and he touched his head. "Hmmm . . . but what could it be?"

Yet another pair of dice sailed onto the roulette wheel, landing this time next to Sora. The first die turned up bearing one dot, and the other continued to jumble and bounce. Soon, it teetered between a side bearing one and another displaying two; after a few more seconds, it appeared to favor one.

"Snakes Eyes" = exploding dice.

Sora's eyes widened. Since he still had a chance to change the number, he did not run; instead, he held his Keyblade like a golf club, swung, and launched the die back at Oogie Boogie. "Fore!"

The die sailed over the gate and struck the Boogie Man on the noggin. He felt to his rump, a tad dizzy, and groaned.

The gems around the wheel lit up.

"Hitting the die back at him was the trigger!" Sora realized. He ran toward the gem that was in line with their opponent. "Hey! Over here!"

The rest of the party met Sora at the correct gem, and he stepped on the glowing stone. The mechanism elevated them to the Boogie Man's level, and they stepped off the lift. Oogie regained his senses then and jumped to his feet. "Uh-oh. . . . Hey, we can talk about this, right?"

Sora's Keyblade took on a bright yellow glow, and he proceeded with his Ars Arcanum combo. Putting a great amount of strength into each swing, he struck him thirteen times, then paused and lifted the weapon over his head. Throwing all of his weight into one last bash, he dealt the finishing blow.

Something pushed the gang back down to the lower level, but at the same time, the bars withdrew back into the floor, so the upper floor was no longer accessible. They watched the Boogie Man with anticipation, wondering if Ars Arcanum truly vanquished him.

There were many tears in the sack, through which dying bugs leaked or crawled out. As he deflated, they screeched in horrifying unison, and eventually the heart too emerged from the rags.

However, the gang breathed a sigh of relief too early.

"I have to commend you," said a voice from the exit. "You actually killed a corpse. Not many people accomplish that."

The party drew their weapons and looked around for the speaker. Goofy looked up and spotted a figure standing on the wall like shinobi from Hikari's world were capable of. "Who are you?"

The man shifted his head. Some light hit his face, and his glasses glinted. He sneered. "My name shouldn't matter to you, but I'll tell you anyway. I am Kabuto Yakushi. I controlled that worthless sack of bugs for some time."

Jack frowned. "Oogie Boogie was acting strange. . . ."

"At least he will be of some use in this state," continued Orochimaru's right hand man. He performed some hand seals. _Since we're leaving this hideout, I can use him to destroy the evidence of us being here._

Ominously, Oogie Boogie leaked darkness.

* * *

The conflict between Hikari and Sasuke continued, though the latter slowed considerably. He kept his distance from the kunoichi, using the serpentine pathway to elude her. At this rate, in order to avoid absolute chakra exhaustion, he very well could have to flee.

He was a level above the kunoichi, and could not see her for a brief frame of time. Then, he saw her running up the incline, heading toward him—only, his Sharingan recognized she was not the real Hikari. His eyes widened a little and he threw a kunai, felling the Shadow Clone. _Where did she go?_

Directly behind him, Hikari's torso emerged from the wall of the mansion, undetected. She grabbed him by his shirt, stepped out of the wall totally, turned them both, and threw him over her shoulder into the open space.

Almost immediately, she chased after him, and appeared behind his back. She kicked him in the center of his spine, back toward the mansion. Lastly, when the boy hovered over the wooden path, she moved above him and dropped her heel on the back of his head. He face-planted into the wood.

Hikari landed in front of him, bloody and bruised; she was certain Sasuke now had bruises, too. He did not rise to his feet as quickly as he would have earlier in the fight, and she wondered if she detected a small tremor in his form.

His crimson Sharingan eyes glowered, looking like small flames of rage ready to burn her alive. But he knew he would not win this if he continued.

Then, the foundation of the mansion creaked loudly and shifted strongly, nearly bringing the two ninja to their knees. The walls secreted darkness, and some expanded while other surfaces receded; a majority took on a woven, sac-like texture.

Sasuke looked toward a giant lantern—more reminiscent of a birdcage—and noted that a portion of the chain also started to take on this texture; his eyes allowed him to see they would alter shape so they resembled Oogie Boogie's hand.

He blinked to deactivate the Sharingan and took off for the lantern hanging nearly twenty feet away and off the side of the wooden walkway. He ran too fast and too suddenly for the kunoichi to follow, though she yelled his name after him. He reached the edge, jumped off, and landed in the lantern; the arm carried him farther away and slightly higher up, perhaps too far for her to follow.

Hikari stood alone on the wooden path, but not for long. A large globe of darkness, similar in size to a coffee table, sprouted from the floor next to her, and three Wight Knights produced themselves in front of her.

She inhaled through her nose, closed her eyes, and exhaled through her mouth. She drew her blades, deciding that now was the time to conserve chakra; she avoided charging wind energy through them. She made quick work of them, avoiding the Knights' swipes and switching her grips from reverse to typical and back as necessary.

Then, she sheathed her blades again. She was ready to try to follow Sasuke when another figure emerged from the manor wall behind her and spoke. "Little Hikari Uzumaki. Oh . . . you just can't stay away, can you?" he tutted.

Hikari stood rigid, and a chill ran down her spine. Her breath caught in her throat, and she experienced palpitations. _That . . . that voice. . . . No. . . ._ Her knees trembled, only partially due to exhaustion. She swallowed and slowly turned her head until she could see him from the corner of her eye; she froze.

There stood her former master, one of Konoha's three Legendary Sannin. His countenance was precisely akin to her remembrance of him, what with a pasty, snaky visage partially covered by his long black hair. More than ever, gazing at him with her bright yellow eyes, she could see how she resembled him when she was heartless—and now. She even had the purple shadows, which only further served the reptilian theme.

"It's good to see you again, little Hikari." He raised his hand and a snake slithered from his sleeve. "Why don't you turn and face your old sensei? It's been so long."

_Move, Hikari!_ she thought. _You can't let him see you scared. You can't let him see you weak!_ She watched the snake close in; she remembered they sometimes had a fatally venomous bite, and her right hand twitched. _And you can't let him kill you so easily!_

With the snake nearly inches away from her, she drew her tanto with her right hand, turned on her heel, and pinned the snake to her opposite arm through the serpent's head, the pain effectively snapping her out of her dumb state.

She narrowed her eyes and breathed deeply, attempting to forget the pain. She kept her blade in her arm to limit blood loss, and breathed heavier than before. "Don't call me . . . 'little Hikari.' I'm not the little girl I used to be."

"But still as weak as ever," he taunted, examining her appearance. "Sasuke was in a diminished capacity to start with, and you still didn't defeat him. To think I considered using you as my next vessel." He licked his teeth, flashing his stretched tongue. "Oh, but you would have certainly required fewer body modification surgeries."

"This isn't my real face!" she snapped back at him. "I have most of my heart again." She touched the markings around her eye. "This is because I needed the face of someone creepy, in this town. It has nothing do with you!"

He smirked and reeled back in the snake he had sent toward her; the belly crawler's head split so it could break away from the small sword.

"What do you want?" she asked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here for Sasuke," he answered, and then, he posed a challenge. "But since I'm here, I want to know how strong little Hikari has become for her to think she could threaten me with death!"

She recalled the message she had sent him. Written in the blood of the Sound Four, on a torn piece of their clothing, couriered by a Heartless whose strings she mysteriously pulled once she entered the second stage of Orochimaru's cursed seal, the message read: _Try to take me again, and it'll be your blood, your heart, and your life._

She was heartless then, so she felt no fear in challenging someone who, truthfully, would most likely kill her. Some part of that side of her was more ruthless, and apparently reckless to taunt her former master; almost arrogant, actually.

Hikari inhaled deeply and clenched her right hand; the other remained limp per the pain of the tanto still stuck in her arm. She stared Orochimaru down. "Don't think I won't stand by what I said. I'll kill you!"

His face lit with excitement. "In your current condition!?" he laughed.

"They're just scratches," she insisted, though she knew she was being rash and absurd. Her head was aught but clear, be it from the near-braining Sasuke had given her earlier, blood loss, or pain—she still had a couple shuriken in her thigh, and cuts all over.

She closed her eyes and her body secreted violet chakra as the stitch-like markings of her curse mark slowly crossed over her chest, neck, face, shoulders, and so on. "I was going to survive today with my own power, but now, I've decided something. . . ." She opened her eyes. "Beating you with your curse mark—it's just too poetic to resist—!"

Her curse mark barely started covering her limbs when something terrible afflicted her insides. Her stomach churned, like she wanted to vomit, and her entire body had chills and tremors, yet her forehead burned up, as if she had a fever.

She fell to her knees and covered her mouth as she coughed aggressively. Black liquid spilled onto her lips and palm, like a manifestation of darkness itself. _Is that . . . from the curse mark? But . . . it worked fine the last time. This is only the second time in my life I've done it. I have a heart now, but so does Sasuke, and didn't affect him like this. I—literally—feel sick to my stomach. . . ._

The wooden texture of the floor turned fuzzy as her eyes became watery. A knot formed in her throat, and she scratched her nails against the wood, closing her abled hand. "No . . . ," she sobbed. "Why is this happening? It shouldn't end this way. . . . I . . . was going to prove myself to you. . . ."

She raised her head to look at him and blinked; she could clearly see the haughty, sadistic smirk on his face. He enjoyed seeing her suffer.

Finally, every form of hurt she experienced that day, all of the memories, the fray-inducing worrying, every wound on her physical and mental being culminated in that one moment, and her feelings overflowed; tears mixed with the blood and sweat on her face.

"I loved you," she sobbed, her voice shaking. "You took me in. I thought you accepted me. You were . . . the closest thing to a father I ever had. But I didn't mean anything to you—huh? As soon as Kimimarou came along, I didn't matter. . . . W-why?"

That snaky grin never left his face. He held out his hand and extended the limb until he held her chin and lifted it so he looked in her eye; only one of his was visible, for the other was almost covered by his hair. "I wonder if there was anything of value in you. Such a foolish, naïve girl. I was bored and thought corrupting a princess with a heart of pure light would be fun. You were interesting, if anything."

The kunoichi's eyes widened. "'Princess'? You're . . . you're lying. How could I . . . ?" She tried looking away and only succeeded in averting her eyes; the Sannin held her chin tight. _But it'd explain the Akatsuki. . . ._

"That was what intrigued me," he explained. He laughed as he recalled the night he encountered her, the night he discovered a little girl crying hot tears and claiming lust for the hearts of her village people. "Someone whose heart was supposed to be full of light said such sinister things. Your brother was chosen to be the Foxboy because the Fourth and the Old Man thought you could somehow keep the beast at bay, but it seemed he corrupted you instead. You had a look in your eye, like the one you had when you said you'd kill me—such a _dark_ look."

His smile faltered to an expression one could interpret as either disdain or indifference. Sustaining his grip on her, he adjusted his handle of her and withdrew his arm, thus bringing Hikari close to her feet. He watched her struggle as he held her just a little too high for her feet to touch the ground flat.

"It was going to be an interesting experiment. But that dimness soon waned, and you became utterly useless to me. A defective toy." He stretched his neck so his mouth was near her ear; Hikari felt his hot breath on her neck for the second time in her life, and shut her eyes. "As weak as you are, only the light of your heart saved you from being consumed by my seal."

Slowly and shakily, Hikari's right hand reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai. Her chakra energy was not as focused as it would usually be, but she transferred some of the wind element to extend the blade.

"Little Hikari . . . such a pathetic creature. Born with a heart of pure light, yet you could so easily fall prey to darkness." He smirked once more. "I will show you mercy as my former pupil and put you out of your miser—!"

Before he finished his statement, Hikari took her kunai and stabbed her former teacher; the wind chakra-extended blade pierced him all the way through.

Orochimaru dropped Hikari and stumbled back; the both of them collapsed to the floor at nigh the exact same moment. Neither said a word, and while the former was evidently unmoving, the latter breathed heavily. Her kunai clattered to her side.

When the girl wondered if she may have actually ended Orochimaru, his "corpse" responded. The mouth of the body opened, and a pair of hands stretched it impossibly wide, allowing for the head of a new body to come out, almost like a snake shedding its skin. Partially out of the old body, the Sannin was covered in fluid, and he glared at his student from beneath the curtain of his hair; his eyes appeared to almost glow.

Hikari stared, speechless. _He . . . can regenerate himself. . . ._

**End of Chapter Forty-four**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-five: Wilting Red Rose

Orochimaru sneered, "Cunning Little Hikari Uzumaki. You said all those frilly words to distract me and buy time for you. . . . You didn't mean any of it, did you?"

She flinched. "No . . . I meant every word."

Out of his mouth, he summoned another snake, and out of its maw, the handle of a sword protruded. He drew the Sword of Kusanagi and took to his feet. Menacingly, he approached her.

* * *

So . . . much . . . fighting. . . . _ N-never again. . . . Neverrrrr. . . . *dies*

Just kidding :3 There was a lot of fighting in this chapter, though. It was hard, but I am proud of the results :D Although, I wish I could've come up with something more clever than "Blades of Fire"— I'm no good at that. . . .

Any-who, gushing time. I have allowed my Kakkoii Fanboy—pen name CommanderFlynn—to use Hikari in his fan fiction, Kingdom Hearts 3: Whispers of Darkness. Obviously, it's a Kingdom Hearts fic, so it doesn't have Naruto elements; Hikari will actually be somewhat different from how she is in my story, and goes by "Hikari Luneth" as opposed to "Hikari Uzumaki." It's pretty good so far ^_^ I won't give too much away, though, so you may be intrigued. Set after Dream Drop Distance, so spoiler-avoiders be advised. Please, take a look at it and review. The author is developing his skill so he may someday be a novelist, and he could use all the opinions he can get.

Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review! :3


	45. Wilting Red Rose

Recap: "Little Hikari . . . such a pathetic creature. Born with a heart of pure light, yet you could so easily fall prey to darkness." He smirked once more. "I will show you mercy as my former pupil and put you out of your miser—!"

Before he finished his statement, Hikari took her kunai and stabbed her former teacher; the wind chakra-extended blade pierced him all the way through.

Orochimaru dropped Hikari and stumbled back; the both of them collapsed to the floor at nigh the exact same moment. Neither said a word, and while the former was evidently unmoving, the latter breathed heavily. Her kunai clattered to her side.

When the girl wondered if she may have actually ended Orochimaru, his "corpse" responded. The mouth of the body opened, and a pair of hands stretched it impossibly wide, allowing for the head of a new body to come out, almost like a snake shedding its skin. Partially out of the old body, the Sannin was covered in fluid, and he glared at his student from beneath the curtain of his hair; his eyes appeared to almost glow.

Hikari stared, speechless. _He . . . can regenerate himself. . . ._

**Chapter Forty-five: Wilting Red Rose**

Another tear leaked from Hikari's eyes, and she closed her lids. This was the end. She had no hope for survival now. She did not have the energy to fight the full battle it would take to find an injury Orochimaru could not survive, assuming one existed.

_Riku . . . Sora . . . Donald . . . Goofy . . . Red XIII. I'm sorry, I. . . ._

Orochimaru sneered, "Cunning Little Hikari Uzumaki. You said all those frilly words to distract me and buy time for you. . . . You didn't mean any of it, did you?"

She flinched. "No . . . I meant every word."

Out of his mouth, he summoned another snake, and out of its maw, the handle of a sword protruded. He drew the Sword of Kusanagi and took to his feet. Menacingly, he approached her.

Suddenly, a giant black and white creature—a lion drawn of ink—interfered in the exchange and scooped up Hikari in its mouth, taking care not to bite her. It carried her out of harm's way, up to a slightly higher tier where Orochimaru could not reach her, and set her down.

Hikari stared at it, dumbfound. _What is . . .?_ Then, realizing who the lion belonged to, she turned her head every which way. _Sai . . . !_

Hovering over them, a masked boy mounted an ink hawk. He was dressed almost completely in white, including his midriff-bearing shirt, fingerless gloves, capris, and zori. He also had a torn cape of a slightly off shade of white, almost ashen, that covered as far as down his chest in the front and the small of his back in the posterior. His mask was reminiscent of a Konoha ANBU's, and resembled a dog.

The boy reached for his mask and shifted it so it rested on the side of his head, not over his face. Although his skin was more ashen, particularly around his eyes, he was definitely Sai. "Hello, Hikari," he smiled. "You look like you could use some help."

"What . . . what are you doing here?" she wondered.

"Krystal and I have been traveling the worlds, and came upon this one. After some exploring, we found ourselves here, where you all seem to have your hands full," he explained. "Sora and the others are trying to destroy all of the dark orbs to stop Oogie Boogie, and Krystal noticed you fighting someone. She saw that you weren't doing well, either."

Hikari pursed her lips. _"Dark Globs"? Is that what transformed the manor? The power of darkness?_ "Where's Krystal?"

Before he could reply, he had to dodge Orochimaru's kusanagi when it was thrown at him. He looked back down at the snake man. "You'll fight me now. I haven't forgotten about you." Regarding Hikari once more, he added, "You should get somewhere safe."

The kunoichi clenched her teeth, having some serious reservations about fleeing. Firstly, she did not want to let Orochimaru go on to take Sasuke, for multiple reasons. Secondly, she was not sure Sai could handle a Sannin alone; he was former ANBU, but the snake man had killed the Third Hokage shortly before the land of Shuriken and Kunai fell to darkness—and there was no telling how much stronger he had become in three years. Thirdly, as unreasonable as the thought was, she simply did not want to give Orochimaru the satisfaction of her running away.

She stared at her former sensei for a long time and clenched her teeth. She gripped the lion tight with her abled hand and trembled from head to toe. Then, she turned her head away, shut her eyes, and swallowed. For one instance that day, she would exercise restraint, and not act recklessly. "Be careful. He can regenerate his body like a snake sheds its skin."

He nodded. "Go."

Without further prompting, the ink lion carried Hikari away. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the conflict commenced immediately: the sword Orochimaru had thrown at Sai emitted a blue light now, and the snake man controlled it remotely,

She faced forward once more and shut her eyes.

* * *

_Me and Sai came to the outskirts of this town of Halloween when we found nothing interesting in the rest of the world. We entered through a tunnel of blue rock that opened to a stream of bright green liquid. A small wooden bridge nearby would let us cross it._

_It was quite the spectacle in front of us. The manor in the middle of the canyon looked like it was alive—it even had a face that reminded me of a Jack-o-Lantern. That is, the ones with the jagged eyes and grins. This one looked more like it was torn into a sack, though._

_There were Heartless everywhere. Even without my byakugan, I could see signs of a struggle. Something was going on, something big._

"_Krystal."_

_Sai said my name, but I knew what he was going to say. I nodded and performed a string of hand seals; the veins around my eyes dilated and became visible from the outside. With my activated bloodline, I had something that sorta looked like a pupil inside my white iris. "Already ahead of ya."_

_This . . . monster in front of me overflowed with the power of darkness. It had pockets of it—kinda like globes of darkness—peeking from the seams. I could see even more Heartless collecting around these areas, like they were drawn to them._

_Five bodies with magic power, not chakra, fought on the ground level; their body types were kinda familiar, three of 'em at least. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy are here. . . . They're with two other . . . things that I can't recognize. One's a very tall and skinny guy, and the other looks like a big cat. But, where's Hikari . . .?"_

_I tilted my head to look up and saw three chakra networks. Two of them looked like they were talking to each other, but one was on its knees, struggling with chakra that was colored purple, not blue like most people's. I knew from looking at Uchiha when his curse mark was active that corrupted chakra looked like that. I wondered if that was Hikari, and guessed the other person was Orochimaru by the way he stretched and flicked his tongue every now and then._

_But it was the third body, who also had an active curse mark, who stole my breath away—and I almost uttered his first name. "Sasu . . . U-chiha?"_

_If Sai said anything to me, reacted in any way, I didn't notice. I'd lost focus on my surroundings and my vision became blurry when I deactivated my byakugan and started to cry. It felt like something stabbed me in the heart. The memory of his back leaving me behind in the Olympus Coliseum, of him __**abandoning**__ me, filled my mind._

_I remembered, very clearly, how he'd said, "You're making me soft! This wouldn't have happened if I was stronger—it's because of you I'm this weak!"_

_Sai touched me then, and I barely felt that. He put both of his hands on my shoulders and literally shook me out of that state before I would respond to him. "Krystal! What's going on?"_

_I looked at him. He still wore his mask, a weird canine face that apparently resembled the one he wore in ANBU Root, where the inspiration for his costume had come from. My hands shook. "Hikari's fighting Orochimaru, and she's losing . . . bad. But also. . . ." I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. "Uchiha's here."_

_As if it was the easiest solution in the world, Sai said, "Then we have to save them. I'll occupy Orochimaru so Hiki can get away, and we'll save Sasuke, too."_

_But I couldn't. I felt paralyzed by fear and shackled by the hurt. My memories of Uchiha, the words he said to me, the way he looked at me,. . . . They were engraved in my head, and the hurt left a profound impression on my heart._

_Through a bitten lip, I said, "I can't. I can't face him—e-either of them." The tears pooled over. "I'm not . . . strong enough, m-my body, or my heart." My voice shook. "W-what am I supposed to even say to him? W-what do I do? I'm not ready for this! I can't offer him anything that he wants!"_

_I wanted to pull my hair out. Sai can't understand. He's only just started feelings things for the first time he can remember—it hasn't been long enough for him to understand. But I'm frozen. My feet won't move. My legs are locked into place._

_He just stared at me. I couldn't see the look on his face because of the mask. He turned away and brought out his scroll and ink. "If Hikari's in danger like you said, then she might not hold on much longer. I don't have time to convince you. Stay if you have to."_

_That hurt. The tone of his voice was disappointed, if not disgusted. I know it isn't right for me to sit out. I know Hikari's being put through a lot. I know that if I don't put myself out there, I'll guarantee Sasuke's leave. But something—ah, who'm I kidding? __**Fear**__ is holding me back._

_I watched Sai fly off toward the monster on the back of an ink hawk and felt more stress than ever. This wasn't right. I can't stand this. I'm just proving him right—I'm too weak! All that matters to him is killing Itachi, and one day, restoring his clan._

_I shut my eyes, crouched, pulled my bangs, and continued to cry._

The ink lion created by Sai carried Hikari to the small nook where he and Krystal had parted, and stopped on the other side of the small creek. The Uzumaki heard sobs, ramblings, and anxious breaths, but rock hid the cause; slowly, and carefully, she climbed down from the lion and trudged across the bridge.

She used the rock for support when she came to it and rounded the corner. "Krystal . . . ?"

The Hyuuga lifted her head and breathed a sigh of relief. "Hikari!" Her eyes widened as she looked at the tanto in her friend's shoulder and her various other wounds. Shakily, she sprang to her feet and tried to help Hikari. "Oh my God . . . Sai got to you just in time."

Hikari did not reply. She accepted the white-eyed kunoichi's aide and slung her right arm over her shoulder. When the Hyuuga was not looking, the yellow-eyed teen examined her features.

Her eyes were red and puffy from shedding a river's worth of tears. Her face was full of creases marked by agony, though she bore no physical wound. Also, her body was tremulous.

Slowly, Krystal lowered Hikari to the ground where she previously sat. The typically-blonde nin looked up and asked, "What are you doing down here? Haven't you been looking for Sasuke? He's up there, you know."

Her face twisted with grief. "I know. I saw you all, up there. But. . . ." She sat down to the side of the yellow-eyed nin so as to avoid her direct scrutiny; she bent her knees up toward her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I just . . . I can't. I'm a wreck! I can't talk to him like this, not that he would listen. And if I tried fighting him to force him to stay—he'd wipe the floor with me. I'm—I'm too emotional. . . ."

Hikari put her forehead in her palm and rubbed; she did not have a lot of energy left, but tried to summon enough to convince the lovesick teen. "But if you wait, it'll be too late." She raised her head and looked at her. "You might not get another chance. You need to talk to him now.

"But . . . ."

"It'll be even harder to bring him back after he's really tasted the forbidden fruit," she added, averting saddened eyes as she thought of Riku. "No matter what he feels about you."

She blushed and furrowed her brow. "He doesn't think much of me, I'm sure of that. Him feeling the same about me—it's just wishful thinking." She sighed and curled up more. "Am I that obvious?"

"Not really. Not like the fan girls, like how I used to be. You weren't really a part of that, but now, I think I see it." She lowered her head. "You aren't just worried about him turning to the dark side; you're hurt that he left you behind.

"I did what I could as a friend. I tried to stop him, for you, but I couldn't get through." She shook her head. "Maybe . . . your feelings can reach him. You could be his light."

"But . . . he doesn't feel the same," Krystal said.

Hikari looked at her. "Did he tell you that?"

". . . ."

"I won't force you. It's your choice if you want to go after him. But. . . ." She looked away. "If you don't do anything . . . he might not ever come back. I think you'll regret it if you don't."

The point marinated in Krystal's noggin for a few more moments. _She's right. I didn't try to stop him before. I didn't have a chance. This could be the only time I can try_

Krystal swallowed and opened her mouth. "Okay." She lifted her head and caught the other kunoichi's attention; her hands tightened around her knees, testament to her nerves. "I'll do it." Then, she looked at Hikari, noting her fatigue. "But . . . are you going to be okay?"

Hikari smiled weakly. "Thank you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine. It hurts—a lot—but I'm going to survive this." She nodded with her head toward the ink lion. "He can take you up to where Sasuke is. Go, before it's too late."

Reluctantly, Krystal nodded and climbed onto the back of the lion. In light of her attire, she settled herself sidesaddle and grabbed on tightly. She looked over at Hikari once more, biting her lip.

"Go on," the Uzumaki mouthed.

"Thank you," the Hyuuga mouthed in return, and she went.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha watched everything occurring within the vicinity of the manor from the caged lantern he had taken refuge in. He had borne witness to the entire exchange between Orochimaru and Hikari, and now observed the former and Sai in combat.

His curse mark was still active. His face held no expression. His body was covered in bruises from his encounter with Hikari, but he was nowhere near the state she was in.

Abruptly he heard the light _tak_ of a sandal behind him, and he turned to discover the source; there was a flicker of recognition in his brow, and his mouth opened without his prompting, as he gazed at the familiar visage staring back at him. "Krystal. . . ."

She dithered. "U-uchiha. . . ."Under his gaze, she could not move. She could hardly find the nerve in her to speak. Her stomach was in knots, and she wrung her hands; her face was red. "I . . . d-didn't think, I'd see you again. . . ."

The Uchiha's face hardened; he buried his emotions. "What are you doing here?"

That tough countenance reflected off of the Hyuuga's soft white eyes. "I came to see you. I had to see you." She lowered her gaze and a gentle breeze disturbed her curly black tresses. "I . . . I can't just stand by and let you do this to yourself." She looked up at him again. "Please, U . . . ," She stopped, closed her eyes, breathed, and looked at him again, ". . . Sasuke . . . don't go with Orochimaru. Come back with me."

Coolly, he asked, "Why should I? You can't teach me anything, I can't become any stronger if I stay with you. I'll never become strong enough to complete my ambition."

"To kill Itachi and restore you clan." She did not need him to state it for her; she had heard his ambition hundreds of instances prior, and her heart broke a little every time he mentioned it. "Why can't you just forget about it? To kill your brother—that'd make you as bad as him. I don't want to see you fall into the darkness."

"Because killing him is the reason for my existence." His stone-like face cracked as he frowned. "Why can't you understand that?"

"Because . . . ," her brow furrowed in sadness, ". . . no matter what the reason why . . . I can't stand the thought of you dying." She placed her hand over her heart and clutched her chest. "Orochimaru wants your body. He'll train you for a little bit, make you strong, but. . . ."

A soft wind disturbed his hair as he stared straight in her eyes, and said, "I don't care if I die." He raised his hand and looked at his palm; the wide collar of his shirt covered his mouth. "Even if it's just my body that ends his life . . . I'll have served my revenge."

"You're crazy!" she blurted, and received a dirty look for her words. Biting her lip, she tried to humor the thought, "If he succeeds and kills Itachi for you, that's one thing. . . . But if that happened, how would you restore your clan?"

He reacted.

She blushed furiously. "Do you think Itachi's even interested in sex? You're the last Uchiha! You want to leave that to Orochimaru, too?" She took a step closer. "Everything you do is for hate . . . but to restore the clan—don't you need a girl for that?"

He stared at her, dumbfounded. His face turned red and he scowled. "I was talking about restoring _glory_ to the Uchiha clan, idiot. I never said it was about finding some girl and repopulating!"

Although she vacillated, Krystal continued to approach him until he was within arm's length. Her face turned redder, and she spoke quieter. ". . . So what? Even if that's true, and you weren't thinking about that before . . . maybe you can think about it now."

His eyes questioned her and he slowly shifted his weight away from her.

"I . . . always wanted to be that girl. Even after the way you treated me . . . I still want to be her." She reached out and held his hand. "I love you. I've always loved you. After you left, I told myself I didn't want anything to do with you anymore—but that's just a lie! I want _everything_ to do with you. Everything reminds me of you. I . . . I just. . . ."

She stared into his eyes. His resolve was weakening, or at least that is what she wanted to believe. Mayhap on the account of wishful thinking, she thought she saw wavering in his eyes. Yet, in spite of her confession, he remained aloof; she could not truly tell what he was thinking.

Krystal tightened her grip on his hand, squeezing gently. She felt her pulse and his, both pounding with a regular but quickened rate. Did that mean his heart, too, was palpitating a mile a minute? Her face was flush as this thought passed her mind, and she wished desperately that he would react more clearly.

"I . . . just. . . ." She did not know what else to say. She had already blurted any concise thought she had. Her heart continued to ache as she realized her words were not reaching him, that she might have already lost him. "I need you to . . . hear me. . . ."

Tears sparkled in her eyes and her face turned a deeper shade of red. _Or, the very least, I need you to feel me . . . ,_ she thought to him silently.

She still held his hand and tugged on it slightly as she stepped forward. With her free hand, she reached up behind Sasuke's neck and pulled his face toward hers. Hesitating for but a moment just before their lips would touch, she kissed the boy she loved.

Krystal's eyes were shut tight, but Sasuke's remained wide open; to outside eyes, the caressing of maws was entirely one-sided, yet the avenger did not attempt to push the girl away. He remained still, perhaps even stiff, neither accepting nor rejecting. His eyes relaxed but did not close, and his hand curled at his side, but he _did not fight._

He wavered.

He considered the possibilities that lied with the path of love, to restore his clan not only in glory, but in numbers—a legacy that would sustain itself further than the scrolls of history potentially forgotten. He thought of taking this path with Krystal, of waking with her in his arms, of she bearing a child who would carry on the sharingan.

Then he remembered seeing his parents' dead bodies in the center of their room, his brother standing above them. The thought of allowing the man who marred the Uchiha name live gave him pause.

With his free hand, Sasuke reached into his kunai pouch and drew a knife. Slowly, he raised that blade behind Krystal's posterior, though he hesitated when it was level with her shoulder.

Then, he stabbed her deep in the back.

Crying out in pain, Krystal broke the kiss and tightened her grip on Sasuke's neck and hand. Blood poured down her back and dripped onto the ground, resembling the fallen petals of a wilting red rose.

Trembling, she bit back further yells, but grunted when Sasuke pulled out the knife. She opened her eyes in a squint. "S-sa-sa . . . suke . . . ," she gasped. She tried to look at his face, but she suddenly felt very heavy. Tears dewed in her eyes. "Why?"

He took his hand still holding the kunai and reached up to remove her hand still behind his neck. He distanced himself from her, and said, "I have to break all ties and sever my bonds. I can't return your feelings now, not while my brother is still alive." He squeezed that hand for but a moment and released her totally. "Thank you."

The bleeding nin stepped back little by little, creating more distance between herself and the avenger. She was hunched over, trying to stave the pain of the wound. The hurt was so strong, her vision darkened, but it did not compare to the pangs of her bruised and swelling heart. She did not know where she stepped, but soon, she was over the edge of the lantern.

Sasuke ran to the edge of the lantern and watched her fall, a clear expression of concern marking his visage.

Within moments, Krystal fell past the level where Orochimaru and Sai fought. Sai happened to see her descending figure, and fortunately, the snake man was preoccupied then, as he was shedding his skin per a previous injury.

The former member of Konoha's ANBU Root drew a hawk on a scroll with flourish. The bird flew from the page to life, and he vaulted onto its back; he wasted no time in attempting to catch his comrade.

Orochimaru did not waste his energy to pursue the nin. When he stepped out of his previous skin, he simply stood among the discarded flesh, covered in fluid from head to toe. He regarded the lantern where Sasuke remained. He could see his intended vessel's face, and he did not appreciate the feelings behind the expression.

Sora ran onto the scene then, the rest of the gang behind him, mere feet away from the snake man. His attention was on the bubble of darkness near the sannin, however. He raised his Keyblade, pointed it at the dome, and a powerful ray of light beamed out of the tip to burn it from existence.

The Keybearer's eyes fell on the snake man. "Who are you?"

Before he would respond, the manor shook once more. During all of these confrontations, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Red XIII, and Jack had been fighting Heartless and attacking the dark globs from which the fallen Oogie Boogie had been drawing his power; the last globe was just vanquished.

Now was time to leave, Orochimaru realized.

As if cued, a giant purple snake descended from the heavens. Upon closer inspection, it was not a true snake, but a Gummi piloted by none other than Kabuto. All present regarded the ship, though the emotion displayed on their countenances varied.

Orochimaru looked at Sora and smirked. "Tell Little Hikari that she has found one way to be useful to me. My old group has thinned in numbers, thanks to you. Keep killing Akatsuki as a thank you for letting you live."

The boy made a questioning noise, but his query would not be answered. Flame consumed both Orochimaru and Sasuke, with nothing left in their wake, and their bodies reappeared in the eyes of the Gummi, Manda.

He watched the Gummi warp out of this world to some other place among the stars. He pondered the sannin's words while at the same time wondering who he was. He knew about the Akatsuki—so he was likely from the Land of Shuriken and Kunai—and he seemed to know his friend rather personally; namely, enough to call her "Little Hikari."

Donald's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "Sora, the manor's collapsing! We've gotta go!"

He looked back over his shoulder and noted they were indeed in danger. The walls were disintegrating, leaking darkness and eclipsing the walkways almost entirely. If they did not move quickly the floor would soon cave in under them, and at this altitude, falling was potentially deadly.

With haste, he followed his friends to safety. They managed to arrive at the ground level before the manor completely disappeared. In the end, no ruins were hardly even apparent; all had been cast in oblivion. However, one could see the outline of a giant Keyhole glowing in the dirt.

Sora looked up at the moon and painted his Keyblade at it. A beam of light shot out of the tip and hit the luminous circle in the sky. The light bounced off of the surface and separated into several smaller lights that gently rained down upon the Keyhole and sealed it.

Sai descended to the canyon floor and hopped off the ink hawk's back as he carried Krystal in his arms. Although her bleeding was in fact not as bad as it appeared, she had fainted, probably from shock. The anguish she felt when she had gone over the edge was still clear in her face.

Sai regarded the poor creature with pity. He could not fathom the betrayal, but as one whose heart barely learned to experience emotions, empathy was beyond him—sympathy was the best he could muster. His heart went out to her.

"We need to heal that," Sora said and looked around. "Hiki has a gem that lets her use medical ninjutsu. . . . Where is she, anyway?"

Sai looked at him and answered, "She wasn't in good shape when I found her fighting Orochimaru. She's bled a lot, and there's a sword in her shoulder. I helped her escape." Wearing a neutral expression, he looked over at the entrance to this area. "It should have taken her over there."

**End of Chapter Forty-five**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-six: A Day in the Life of Leon

This last report elicited ire of the swordsman, and he accused the scholar of foolishness. The mark indicated in the report was the very same most Heartless varieties adorned, saved for Shadows and few others: the black heart with a thorny red X through it.

Someone—most likely Maleficent and the Akatsuki—abused the machine, creating hordes of Heartless that went on to destroy plenty of worlds, including his own.

_Ansem was a scholar and sage. He governed our world, and it was peaceful. Before the Heartless came around, they almost shut down the Garden. People trusted him!_

* * *

Hey, all. I'm sorry this took so long to get out. Chapter forty-six has proved difficult, therefore once again, I'm posting before the next one is complete DX This one just happens to be a shorter one, too. . . .

Anyway, I hope the Roses are Red fans enjoyed the bits of SasukeXKrystal drama. This is technically the third time I've written this form of exchange with the two, but since this time I wasn't rewriting, I tried to make it as different as possible. I feel pretty good about it :)

**Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review!**


	46. A Day in the Life of Leon

_Author's Note: This story has not been abandoned, nor do I intend to. This may have been the longest gap in my posting, ever-it's been, what, close to four months-but still. There are numerous contributing factors to this, and I don't need to list them all here. You're hear to read the story, not babble about my life's problems :P _

_I've included a recap for those whose memory may have become a tad fuzzy. I hope I've included enough. . . . Oh, and I no longer have Word - just Wordpad - so . . . some spelling and punctuation may be funky, especially the hyphens/dashes. I'm afraid that since I know what it's SUPPOSED to say, my brain registers that instead of what it ACTUALLY says, sometimes._

_Please, enjoy._

Recap: Three years ago, Hikari's world fell to darkness. Now, she quests with the wielder of the Keyblade, Disney Castle's Court Magician and Royal Knight, and Red XIII, to save other worlds from the same fate. She had lost her heart, and somehow, it was broken-literally-but she has regained most of the pieces.

Leon's homeworld was taken nine years ago, and with it, his first love. As Sora searches for his friends, Riku and Kairi, he searches tirelessly for Calantha, and puts up a resistance against the Heartless.

**Chapter Forty-Six: A Day in the Life of Leon**

_The first time Squall saw Calantha was at Balamb Garden, the training facility for SeeDs such as himself. She, however, was not a soldier, and didn't go to the school. I can't remember what her business was, that day, but somehow she found herself in the training center._

_The training center is the part of the Garden where Heartless were gathered, yet allowed to run free so soldiers could practice real combat. There was plenty of tall grass and rock to keep things interesting, but also emergency stores of restorative items that were scattered throughout._

_She was running everywhere, trying to flee from the small fry and having lost track of her position compared to the exit. Nothing stronger than a Soldier or Red Nocturne pursued her, but she was scared out of her mind, almost in tears. She didn't dare pause to wipe her eyes._

_At first, Squall wasn't going to get involved. She held a bow and had a quiver of arrows, so why didn't she fight back? He peered around the side of a tall rock and just watched her run around and around, like a chicken-wuss with its head cut off. She was a good runner, if anything._

_But then, she ran into the fat belly of a Large Body and fell back on her butt. She stared at the Heartless, which was bigger and taller than her, and screamed._

_. . . I wasn't going to just let her die._

It can't be helped,_ Squall thought,_ _and he emerged from behind the rock with his Gunblade in hand. He ran the tip along the dirt as he rushed the group of Heartless. To stop the Large Body from immediately causing the girl harm, he cast a trail of lightning bolts in its direction, soon striking it._

_The small fry gathered around him, so he quickly turned in a circle, pulling the trigger of his Revolver multiple times. The _Fated Circle—_a circle of red energy orbs—detonated almost all at once, exploding in the Heartless's faces and vanquishing them._

_The Large Body was angered by the lightning, and turned its attention away from the girl to Squall. The trained SeeD cast Blizzard, distracting the Heartless long enough for him to get behind. He struck its posterior, pulling the trigger while the blade was embedded in its flesh so the weapon vibrated and caused further damage. He struck it relentlessly, not giving it a chance to fight back. In no time at all, the creature dissolved in darkness._

_The girl breathed a sigh of relief and picked herself back up onto her feet. She awkwardly dusted off her skirt, which was part of some navy school uniform, and then picked up her bow and quiver. She turned to Squall at the same time as he turned to her, and they met each other's gazes._

_She smiled, and then she noticed something behind Squall that made her eyes grow wide with fear. "L-look out! Behind you!"_

_Squall looked over his shoulder. It was a Behemoth Heartless that scared her._

_Students at the Garden didn't mess with the Behemoths unless they were fighting as a party, with at least two other people to help them. Squall might have considered it, if he didn't have to also protect his apparently skill-less accomplice._

_Squall tightened his brow and grabbed the girl's hand. "C'mon."_

_Behemoths are big, but they aren't fast or relentless. When you flee, they don't always follow. That was the case with this one. The only Heartless which were on their tails were more small fry, which Squall ignored. The two adolescents only ducked the occasional casting of Fire or Blizzard._

_It wasn't long before they passed through the open space of a chain-link fence. A barrier, marked by a black and yellow line on the floor, covered the opening in the fence but let the teens pass through. Its purpose was to stop the Heartless from running totally wild._

_They stopped a few feet passed the gate and Squall let go of the girl's hand. She was bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing accented. He had a greater amount of stamina, so he was nowhere near as fatigued. For the first time, the SeeD looked at her features more closely._

_The color of her hair matched the blue of her long-sleeved, Navy-style, girls' school uniform. It was tied back in a half ponytail by a white ribbon only some shades off from the color of her silver eyes. Her bangs came down to her cheeks, falling around and between her eyes._

_She straightened and smiled softly at the boy, a light rouge coming to her cheeks—he guessed from all the running. "I'm Calantha." She held her hands together in front of her, around the bow, and twisted coyly in place. "Can I know the name of my knight in shining armor, so I may thank him properly?"_

_He almost didn't answer. He had better things to do than flirt, he thought. "It's Squall."_

_She bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes. Her eyelashes were long and pretty, and she had pink and full lips. "Thank you, Squall, for saving me." She straightened and put a hand on her chest. "They might've taken my heart, if it weren't for you." More quietly, she added, "Hehe, you could be on your way to taking it, yourself. . . ."_

_He wasn't sure he heard right. It didn't matter anyway. ". . . Whatever," the SeeD coolly replied. He turned and started to walk away._

"_Ah! Hey, wait up!" she hastened a short distance to step in line with him and looked up at his face. "You're probably wondering why I was there, huh, and carrying a bow and arrow."_

_He said nothing._

"_I was actually looking for the archery range. There's a competition here, and I'm going to enter. I'm actually a really good shot, you see."_

Then why weren't you fighting the Heartless?

"_I, guess that might make you wonder why you had to save me, huh? Truth is, I haven't had any practical training. I'm not a SeeD, like you, or a SOLDIER. Archery is a hobby."_

How did you end up at the Training Facility, then?

"_Anyway, this place is so big, I just got all turned around! Pretty lame, huh? Yeah, I know it is. . . ."_

_He found it unnerving, how she seemed to read his mind and carry conversation on her own_. Does this girl like talking to walls, or something?

"_So, do you think, maybe, that you could take me to the archery range?" She pulled her hair behind her ear shyly._

"_Not a chance," he replied coldly. "Go talk to a wall."_

_She put her fists on her hips. "I don't think so. I tried consulting a wall, and that's how I ended up where I was!" She paused and added with a coy grin, "Believe it or not, you're kinda like talking to a wall, but at least you're nicer to look at."_

_That was corny, but Squall's face warmed anyway. He brushed it off, contributing it to annoyance._

_Soon, he made an abrupt stop that caused Calantha to collide into him. Her nose hit his shoulder pretty hard, and she rubbed it. When she looked at him, annoyed, her cheeks were puffed, but he was looking straight ahead._

_She followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon the precise location she had been in search of. Dozens of targets were lined up, some with varied degrees of difficulty. The crowd of people in the area was so large, most of Calantha's view of the range was obscured._

"_So you led me to it after a—?"She turned to thank the adolescent SeeD once more, but he was no longer by her side. "Oh. . . ."When the girl turned around completely, she watched his back as he slowly disappeared into the crowd. She gazed at him softly with her hand over her heart._

* * *

Four scared children and one stoic teen stepped out of the large red Ragnarok Gummi onto a grassy plain outside the gate that surrounded Traverse Town. Leon helped some of the smaller children walk down the ramp since it was a little steep. As he held the smallest boy's hand, he noticed a familiar Gummi parked not too far away.

_Sora's back,_ he thought. He felt some concern; the gang could simply be on a supply run, as they do every once in a while, but their last visit was rather recent. Their presence could mean that someone was hurt.

"Um . . . M-mister?"

Leon looked down at a little girl with tear tracks on her face and a partly mangled teddy bear in her arms. "What?"

"What happened to our home? And our parents? And . . . and everyone else?"

". . . They're gone. The Heartless took them."

The child tightened her hold on the teddy as her eyes widened; she was on the brink of tears. "G . . . gone? You mean . . . forever?"

He hesitated. The last thing he needed was for each child to burst into tears. He would simply not be able to handle them.

"We still have each other," the adolescent said. Her hands were balled into fists, and she was trying not to cry herself. Her face was almost blank. "For now, that's all that matters."

Everyone looked at her, displaying range of emotions. Some of the kids leaked a few tears, but many put on a brave face. Leon was reminded of himself, after his home fell to darkness.

Leon took the kids to the café in First District so they could get some food in their bellies. He and the sympathetic owner of the establishment had an understanding, so the charge would be put on his tab. While he went to see what was going on, he left the teenager in charge.

He entered the shop and found Aerith standing near the stairs, Cid seated sideways in a chair so he could lean on the back, and Yuffie sitting on the counter with her legs hanging over the edge. There was, however, no sign of Sakura, Donald's nephews, or Sora and the gang.

"Welcome back," Aerith greeted; the other two issued similar salutations. She held her hands behind her and approached. "Did you find anyone?"

". . . There's five this time. All kids."

There was a flash of sympathy in the adult's eyes; empathy, even, for most of them were merely children themselves when they were orphaned and/or became refugees.

Aerith laced her fingers in front of her and walked toward the door. "I'll check to see if they're okay." She paused before exiting and turned; she looked at the swordsman's face, wearing an encouraging expression. "Leon? You'll find her, eventually. She's still out there, we can feel it." She looked at her hands. "All of us."

He simply stared back at her.

She continued out and closed the door behind her. Leon looked toward the stairs; he knew that if no one was on the first floor purchasing items, then more likely than not, someone was a patient in the infirmary.

"It's Hikari and Krystal," Yuffie said, guessing the question on Leon's mind. "Things got intense in a place called 'Halloween Town.' We don't know much else."

_Halloween Town. . . ._ The location name did not ring a bell.

The doorway was blocked by two relatively new faces; one was Kakashi Hatake, who had appeared in Traverse Town a short while ago alongside an old man and an animate wooden puppet, whereas the other he had picked up on a dilapidated world soon after Sora and the gang's last visit.

She was a fair-skinned woman with violet eyes and a picturesque figure. Her blonde hair was cut short for a woman and parted on the far left side of her face. Although it would usually be pulled behind her ear, the bulk of her hair covered her right eye. She wore a fair amount of makeup, including red lipstick.

She had identified herself as Hikari's teacher at one time, so he knew she was a kunoichi, but she did not precisely look the part—she appeared more feminine, even having apparently perfectly manicured nails. She wore black knee-high, heeled boots in place of zori, and her blue vest was more fitted to an hourglass shape. It was unzipped a little at the top so her cleavage—covered by fishnet—was partly visible and it was partially unzipped at the bottom; while the zipper stopped at her hips, the vest continued part of the way down her thighs, almost reaching the hem of her purple skirt. The sole evidence of her status as a kunoichi was her possession of a wide kunai pouch, dual shuriken holsters, and the Konoha headband tied around her arm.

Both Kakashi and the woman—named Aaya—donned worried countenances, almost like they were seeing their child; further testament to this thought was the way Aaya stood directly next to Kakashi and had reached her hand around his back to hold his farther arm and touched the arm closer to her. She turned her face to him; her gaze as empathetic.

Looking at the two of them, they appeared to be close. She seemed to understand what was going through his head, if only a little. When Kakashi learned that Orochimaru had Sasuke in his sights as a potential new vessel, the Copycat Ninja tried to steer the avenger down a different path. Hoping to sate the Uchiha's thirst for power, he taught him the Chidori, a powerful lightning-based jutsu that was meant to be used as a tool to protect friends. In teaching Sasuke that jutsu, Kakashi hoped that self-worth and the importance of friendships would be instilled in the boy.

Now that he watched one of his students receive treatment for being stabbed in the back in favor of revenge, he saw his lesson was unsuccessful.

The jounin reacted and shifted away from the entrance of the infirmary for Sora, Donald, Goofy, Red XIII, and Sai to file out and walk down the stairs, having been kicked out so Krystal and Hikari, Sakura's other patient, could rest. She ushered them away from the door, too, and followed them downstairs.

She pulled her hair out of a ponytail and wiped sweat from her forehead with a sigh. "Phew. . . ."

"How are they?" Yuffie asked.

"They'll be fine," Sakura replied. "Krystal's posterior required some stitching, she just needs some rest. I took care of all of Hikari's lacerations, dressed the wound in her shoulder, and tried to help along the healing of her concussion, which she'd mostly taken care of herself. She won't be able to use her arm much for a few days, though. She also needs rest."

"What happened?" asked Leon.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII looked at Sai; since they had been preoccupied with Heartless, and the task of dispelling the darkness which animated Oogie Manor, they were not as privy to the kunoichi's situation as he.

"We finally found Sasuke, the boy Krystal was traveling with before she met me. He stabbed her in the back and left with Orochimaru, who is going to train him so he can become stronger. And Orochimaru really put Hikari through the ringer. Before I saved her, she was just waiting to die. But, she almost didn't let me fight him alone." He paused. "I . . . still don't know much about people, and emotions, but . . . I wonder if the fight was very personal."

"Orochimaru?" Sora questioned.

"Hiki never said nothin' 'bout a guy named 'Orochimaru,'" Goofy commented.

"I don't doubt that," Aaya remarked. She stood apart from Kakashi now with one arm crossed in front of her and the other raised so she pulled her hair behind her ear and revealed both eyes. "I was briefed on him when Hikari became my student. Orochimaru. . . . He's a ninja of legend and used to be a great asset for Konoha, until it was discovered he was performing gruesome human experiments within the village. He's a terrible and frightening man."

She looked up. "It's not my place to talk about it, and I don't know much at all. But when little Hikari was a child, she ran away from Konoha and was gone for about a year. She was with Orochimaru for all that time." Gazing back at the staircase, she added, "I'm sure it was a very emotional confrontation."

"And now he has Sasuke . . . ," Sakura said quietly.

Kakashi's eye narrowed and he left the shop without so much as a word. The eyes on his back did not linger for long as everyone was consumed in their own thoughts. A silence befell the room.

Soon, Cid stood from his chair and stretched, grunting as his old bones protested. "Now that I know they're okay, I think it's high time I hit the hay. It's late." He looked at Sora, Donald, Goofy, Sai, and Red XIII. "You all should too. Sounds like you've had it rough today."

Sora and Sai looked back at the staircase.

Sakura assured them, "I'll keep an eye on them overnight. You guys can stay at the hotel and come back in the morning. You probably have a lot of questions."

Yuffie hopped off the counter and followed Cid outside. Leon was going to exit as well when Sora called his name. He turned and looked down at the Keybearer, who held a handful of documents.

"We found a bunch of pages of Ansem's Report while we were gone, but we can't make sense of a lot of it," the boy said, offering the papers. "We thought we'd give them to you and see if you could figure it out."

With that, he, his friends, and Sai also left the shop.

Leon stared at the report in his hands. It was at least twenty pages long and separated into five parts—from appearances, it was still incomplete. Even so, it was more information on the Heartless than they had before, and every morsel was vital. He too left for the place he currently called home.

* * *

A light remained on in the small house of Third District. Leon was seated at the round table toward the center of the room, papers strewn about the surface. Although it was late into the night, he still wore the same attire of the waning day, and had not yet attempted slumber. He was more interested in Ansem's Reports.

He had highlighted many sections, and drawn a few lines connecting certain phrases to some small diagrams included in the pages. There were some holes in the story, having only reports one, three, five, seven, and eight, but he did not favor what he read.

**Ansem Report 1**

_Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge._

_That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that._

_I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand._

_I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times._

_Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?_

_How does it come to affect us so?_

_As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness._

**Ansem Report 3**

_The shadows that crawl beneath the castle... Are they the people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond my imagination?_

_All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries of the heart._

_Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name. Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless._

The details were not recounted, due to the missing reports, but Leon was certain: all of this madness started back then, when Ansem discovered those Heartless beneath the castle.

**Ansem Report 5**

_To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence._

_It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?_

Report 5 was the document that enlightened the Traverse Town gang of the report's existence. They knew of the worlds' Keyholes, and that "powerful mass of energy" was the heart, the core of the world.

**Ansem Report 7**

_I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records even mention such a substance._

_Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I could soar off and find out! Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow._

_But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny place._

The material Ansem described in this report sounded like the Gummi blocks. They started to appear when worlds were disappearing, falling apart. Seemingly, Ansem never discovered that by bonding enough of the materials, one could traverse the lanes between worlds.

**Ansem Report 8**

_There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart._

_As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless._

_This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially._

This last report elicited ire of the swordsman, and he accused the scholar of foolishness. The mark indicated in the report was the very same most Heartless varieties adorned, save for Shadows and few others: the black heart with a thorny red X through it.

Someone—most likely Maleficent and/or the Akatsuki—abused the machine, creating hordes of Heartless that went on to destroy plenty of worlds, including his own.

_Ansem was a scholar and sage. He governed our world, and it was peaceful. Before the Heartless came around, they almost shut down the Garden. People trusted him! But he was experimenting with the darkness and the Heartless. He's the reason this all started!_ He closed his eyes, set down the reports, and made a fist. _All of this suffering and ruin, and for what?_

* * *

"You're tryin'a pull one over on me, aren't you?" Cid raised his brow. "Hiki ain't blonde. She looks like one of them Heartless. Her eyes glowed!"

"Something is . . . different," Yuffie conceded.

"Blonde suits you," Aerith smiled.

Sakura held her chin. "As ninja, we can change our appearance using the _Transformation Jutsu._ But with our heart, we have our sense of self. If people like us don't have our heart, maybe our bodies can't remember what their true form is."

Hikari blushed at Aerith's compliment and reached up to touch the purple discoloration around her eyes; if she recovered the final shard of her heart, perhaps those would disappear, too. "Right. . . ." _But why, of all faces, would mine resemble his so closely? Is it just coincidence, since he looks like a Heartless . . . ?_ Shaking her head, she averted her thoughts.

She sat up in her infirmary bed with pillows at her back and a tray of food above her lap. Her friends all loitered and visited, bringing a colorful atmosphere to an otherwise colorless room.

The blonde kunoichi's left arm was in a sling to accommodate her injured shoulder, but with her other hand, she poked her spoon at jello. Bandages covered the scratches on that arm. Some linen was also wrapped around her forehead, and she had a band aid on her cheek. A loose, light blue cotton shirt covered additional dressings.

She looked over at her temporary roommate, occupying the bed next to her: Krystal. The light-eyed Hyuuga was slumped, gazing yet not seeing a barely-touched plate in front of her. Her hair fell like a curtain around her face, acting as blinders. She wore a green T-shirt that masked the stitches dressing the wound on her back, and the blanket concealed grey caprice.

Sai sat in a chair on the opposite side of her, holding a book. A furrow marked his brow as he thumbed through its pages, occasionally glancing at his travel companion. He looked in each chapter, yet nothing would help him figure out how to help his friend.

The artistic ninja closed the book and set it down. "Krystal."

The dark-haired kunoichi moved her head slightly, but her eyes were barely visible. Her glassy, passive stare only bolstered its comparativeness to a mirror.

"This book shows an image of someone feeding another person who's in a hospital bed. . . ." He picked up the plate on Krystal's tray and scooped up what appeared to be some mashed potatoes on a fork. Wearing a very serious expression, he asked, "Do you want me to feed you?"

Krystal lifted her head and her hair fell out of her face. Her eyes were slightly wide, for she had not noticed the food in front of her. Suddenly hearing a faint growl in her stomach, she took the fork from Sai and mumbled, "I'll feed myself."

Sora shifted uncomfortably. Like many other occupants of the room, figuring out what to say to the kunoichi was a little nerve-wracking. He could not stand to see a girl so down, but he did not know what he could say to displace the hurt. Rubbing the back of his head, he asked, "Are you okay, Krystal?"

She swallowed a forkful of food and hardened her eyes. A long few moments passed before she answered him. "I just . . . I didn't want him to go. . . . I was trying to help him. . . ." Her grip tightened on the fork. "Why couldn't he open his heart to me . . . ? Why did he _stab_ me?"

Hikari averted her eyes.

Aerith walked around Hikari's bed and came to the foot of Krystal's, where she sat. "When you're that deep in the darkness, sometimes the light is hard to find, or you close your eyes to it. Your Sasuke—"

"He isn't mine," the girl snapped. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she added, "He . . . he made that clear."

The young woman paused, understanding, and then continued. "He's a boy on a mission. He has something he must do, even if you don't understand it." She thought of Cloud and his search for the someone who embodied his darkness, and how that search fueled his refusal to come to Traverse Town with everyone else. "It's going to be better for you if you move on."

Krystal reached up and thoughtfully fingered the rose pendant around her neck. ". . . ."

"She doesn't have to give up on him," Yuffie countered.

Hikari raised her brow and opened her mouth.

Aerith turned her head toward her. "He's a dangerous boy. Look at what he did to her!"

"But not all bad boys are bad!" The ninja approached a conveniently placed white board on an easel and picked up a black dry erase marker. "Pro: they can steal stuff you ya!"

Aerith smiled a little. "Only you'd see stealing as a pro. It isn't very moral."

Yuffie continued writing. "They're exciting!"

"And dangerous."

"Danger is exciting!"

"Danger ends with tears, hurt, and heart break." The green-eyed brunette looked at the eldest of present company. "Cid?"

Sitting backwards in a wooden chair with this arms resting on the back, the old man shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm not steppin' into this crap. That's girl talk, and I'm a man!"

Yuffie threw the marker at him, hitting his goggles. "Sexist. SEXIST!"

The mechanic flailed. "Hey! It's a sticky situation, and a lot of people look down on foolish girls who stick with bad boys, because often, they're rotten to the core. But some of them are just in a bad situation."

"Like Riku," Sora said.

Hikari closed her mouth.

Cid nodded and stared forward. "T'hell with what people think! It's none'a their goddamn business whether a girl decides to give them more chances or cut them outta their life. That's independence."

Quietly, the blonde kunoichi spooned some jello into her mouth. Food for thought.

Leon walked through the doorway then, carrying a single sheet of paper.

"Squall!" Yuffie strode toward him, stopping in the middle of the room. "Back me up here! Bad boys aren't all bad, right? You're sulky like one, you have to understand!"

"Leon isn't a bad boy, he won't agree with you," Aerith debunked. "He's broody, but he isn't out for revenge. He's a good man. He'd treat the woman he loved right, not like this 'Sasuke.' Leon?"

A day in the life of Leon was not complete without the others' attempting to drag him into their nonsense.

". . . Whatever." He lifted the sheet. "Do you want to hear what's on Ansem's Report, or not?"

Everyone fell silent.

The swordsman read a summarized version of the report aloud. He recounted Ansem's discovery of Heartless in the base of the castle and how Ansem found the world's Keyhole. He also included the subsequent experimentation on the dark beings . . . and Ansem's method of multiplying his test samples.

"Most of the Heartless we see have the same emblem Ansem indicated in his report. That means that most of them were created by his machine."

Sora raged first. "So the Heartless we've been fighting—they aren't even _real?_"

"They're real enough," Leon answered. "And still dangerous. A lot of the stronger Heartless have those emblems. As he said in his report, whether they're manufactured from his machine or are born naturally from the darkness of someone's heart, they act almost exactly alike."

Aerith laced her fingers in front of her and bowed her head. "I can't believe Ansem created a machine like that. Couldn't he understand the risks of having something like that around?"

"Goddamn idjit," Cid cursed around the cigarette hanging from his mouth. "For all that time he was spendin' tryin'a manufacture the Heartless, he should've been figuring how to stop them."

". . . . . . . . . . ." Leon did not voice his opinion on the "sage," and looked at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII. "We know now that Maleficent—or the Akatsuki, now, since she's gone—are abusing the machine. If we can find the machine, where the Heartless are coming from, we'll find them."

The gang nodded.

"But before we go . . . ," Goofy began. He looked at Hikari. "We can't just leave Hiki behind."

Hikari's mouth was a straight line.

Sakura stood with her fist on her hip. "Hikari's going to need another week before she'll be able to use her arm. She should still recover after that. You guys see a lot of combat."

Sora rubbed the back of his head and looked at the blonde, wearing an expression of unease. "The Akatsuki have a lot of princesses and jinchuuriki already. Who knows if they'll have them all after all that time . . . ?"

Hikari looked down at her sheets and opened her mouth; she hesitated and breathed, "They won't. Not . . . until they have me."

The gang gave her a questioning stare; the Keybearer voiced, "I don't get it."

"She's a Princess."

Everyone's heads turned toward the new speaker. Aaya leaned her posterior against the door frame with her arms crossed and her head hanging back. She gazed into the room side-long. No one had noticed her arrival.

Donald turned his attention back to Hikari and squawked, "YOU have a heart of pure light!?" Some of the others appeared similarly taken aback.

Hikari's face twisted with melancholy. "It's true?"

The woman lowered her head and pulled her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She approached Hikari's bedside. "Yes. Unlike your brother, who had the Nine-tails sealed in him directly after birth, you were born _with_ a heart of pure light. Hence, your name, 'Hikari.'"

The Uzumaki gazed up at her teacher. "But . . . why didn't anyone tell me? Why was I kept a secret?"

Aaya lowered herself to one knee so she was level with her student. "Few people know that the Princesses of Heart even exist. Fewer know that one resided on our world, and shared a womb with the boy who would house the Fox Heartless. There was enough war over the jinchuuriki. . . . Imagine the conflict there would've been over a heart of pure light.

"Moreover . . . the villagers' reactions to Naruto was bleak, not like the Fourth Hokage—may he rest in peace—wanted. He thought they would see him as a hero who saved their village . . . ," she shook her head, ". . . but . . . they just saw him as the monster itself.

"I wasn't informed of any of this until you were my student, but it's a natural power of a Princess to ward darkness. The Third didn't want you and your brother to be separated, no matter what. He didn't want your brother to be completely alone. There were two possible scenarios that would've occurred if everyone knew you were a princess: they would believe the Fox's darkness would've corrupted you, or they would want to keep you safe from it—from your brother. They wouldn't want that light shrouded from the darkness."

Hikari looked away. "Naruto . . . could've grown up completely alone. . . ."

_If I just went on Orochimaru's word, then I might've doubted it a little, but . . . I don't think Aaya-sensei would lie to me. That rule sounds like something the Third would've done, considering how he tried to keep Naruto being a jinchuuriki a secret, to protect him._

Hikari looked at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII. She swallowed. "You guys . . . have to leave without me."

"What?" they chorused.

Her heart twisted with grief. "Don't act like it didn't cross your minds, too. I can't fight in my condition . . . I'd just be a burden to you." She looked down, squinting. "You guys need to find the Akatsuki, and if I go with you, we're just bringing them what they want. I'll . . . I'll be safe here."

"But here, you'll be a sitting duck!" Sora insisted. "What happens when they come for you?"

"By then, maybe I'll be able to fight!" she snapped back. "And I can join up with you guys later. We have communication systems in the Gummi, and Leon and Cid have Gummies here. But we can't just stop our search because I got hurt. What about Riku? And Kairi? And the King? What about my brother?"

"It's no sweat, Sora," Yuffie injected. She pumped her fist in the air. "You already know how awesome I am as a ninja, and you know Leon and Sakura can fight too. And not just them, but Cid, Kakashi, Aaya—and Aerith's a great healer!"

"And me, too," said Sai. "I think Krystal and me are going to stay here. Hiki's my friend, too. We'll protect her."

Hikari spoke again. "I owe King Mickey to see this through to the end. I'm not going to bail out now." She lifted her wrist, showing the Inferno Band he had given her many worlds ago. "I'm going to catch up with you guys later."

He raised his wrist and stared at the Brave Warrior accessory she had forced him to wear at the start of their journey. He was quiet for a few moments, but then clasped her hand in his firmly, staring directly into her eyes. "Promise."

". . . ." She squeezed his hand. "I promise."

**End of Chapter Forty-six**

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Forty-seven: The "Princess" and the Delicate Rose

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Tch." Without saying another word, she closed the distance between herself and Krystal and decked the dark-haired kunoichi in the face, knocking her off the bed and to the floor.

Eyes saucer-wide, Krystal lifted herself to her hands and knees. She did not bleed, but there was little doubt a bruise would form. She spit and her saliva was clear; her teammate had held back.

She turned her head and glared at the pink-haired nin, but that expression did not sustain. She twisted to sit on her rear with her back up against the bed. She drew up her knees and rested her elbows on them. "This the part where you declare me your rival? Like Ino?"


End file.
